


Called

by devinss



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Pirate Lexa (The 100), Siren Clarke, mermaid clarke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-10-08 18:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 30,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10393902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devinss/pseuds/devinss
Summary: Lexa, the scourge of the open ocean, the Sea Commander, is a well-known pirate captain. In fact, she's the first woman to lead a scurvy bunch of pirates in several hundred years. She's unstoppable, untamable... that is, until she encounters the haunting song of some Sirens. One in particular, a golden-haired Siren called Clarke, captures her attention the most.





	1. Chapter 1

"Ruthless. Fearless. Unwavering. Determined." Indra's stern voice echoed throughout the cabin as she paced. "She'll tear you apart if you cross her. Don't doubt that."

Finding a crew for Commander Lexa's ship had become something between a recruitment and an audition. Rather, the former, then the latter. Anya was in charge of scoping out potential crewmen. On land, at ports, even tapping into other captains' crews, Anya's sharp eyes seemed to sense a person's work ethic and character. It was as if she could identify a person's skill set and potential on sight, which benefitted her cousin Lexa greatly. 

"You might be wondering what you'll be doing for her. You might also be wondering what she'll be doing for you. Please, remember that the Commander is a very successful sailor. She is also a very successful businesswoman at ports just like this. Wealth is no secret to her, and its share shall be none to you. You may leave at any time you like--with advance warning--and you will be paid your dues each time we anchor."

The next three days at this specific port would be spent training the recruits and weeding out the unneeded and unworthy. Indra, Lexa's first mate, was in charge of most of the training process. Gustus and Lincoln were also among Lexa's chosen few and heavily involved in training and general upkeep of the ship. 

 

Finally, the rowdy crew who had arrived was whittled down to four, and the  _Heda_ departed. East was all they knew. Lexa rarely told the crew (even Indra) where they were headed. She wanted to take no chances of her plans being spoiled by way of a crooked crewman spilling secrets. It had happened once before, and that crewman was cast out to sea, abandoned and left to die.

No one crossed Lexa and lived. People were afraid of her. Creatures were afraid of her. She, while not being of a particularly imposing stature, essentially towered over everyone in her world. Commander Lexa was power. 

* * *

 

"Indra," Lexa called from her quarters. She sat, nearly enthroned, upon a velvet plush chair with a solid gold frame. On her desk was a fading map, disintegrating at the edges. Indra entered and swiftly nodded her head downward.

"Commander."

"I'm considering a shortcut. As my most trusted advisor, what do you think?" Lexa posed the question in such a nonchalant fashion, it surprised Indra. 

"Well, is there anything else I should know about this shortcut?"

"That's just it. I don't know a thing about this shortcut." She smirked. 

"Then, if you don't mind me asking," Indra sputtered. Lexa nodded. "How do you know it's a shortcut? If you don't know  _anything_ about it, how do you even know it's a shortcut to begin with?"

"Fine. All of my maps say  _BEWARE,_ and they give a wide circle of avoidance. I simply want to..." She gestured toward a spot on the map. There was, indeed, a red ring with the word  _BEWARE_ on it. Lexa slid her finger along its diameter as she whispered, "cut through it."


	2. Chapter 2

"It's simple," Lexa went on. "We take a sharp turn, 70 degrees, due east... Then we get where we need to be in half the time."

"Commander, please forgive me, but are we to ignore the map and its warning?"

"Maps. Warnings," she clarified. "And yes. Personally, I don't trust whoever made this map. None of these maps show me what is located in this circle. How am I to know what to avoid if I don't... face it myself?"

"Your logic is flawed, Commander, but I respect the hell out of your gall." Indra chuckled. She gestured toward the map. "So what if the maps say BEWARE for a good reason?"

Lexa's face remained stoic. "You've known me how long, Indra?"

"As long as I can remember... Why?" Suddenly, Indra was concerned, and she diverted her eyes.

"Have I ever had sound logic?" Before Indra looked back to meet Lexa's gaze, Lexa let out a stifled laugh. Immediately, Indra's tension was relieved, allowing her to laugh, too. 

"I can't speak on the soundness of your logic, but I can speak on your success as Commander. Lexa, if you're confident to take this shortcut, I'm confident, too."

"Then it's all settled. We're three days from this shortcut, but when we reach it, we can make that sharp turn, 70 degrees, due east. Thank you, Indra, for your valuable input. As I've told you often, I couldn't do any of this without you."

"Of course, Commander. Thank you." She exited the captain's quarters, leaving Lexa alone with the map.

Alone in her quarters, Lexa continued to pour over the antiquated map. She had planned this particular voyage months prior, but her ultimate goal would require a fresh, hardy crew. More than anything, though, she wanted to have a little fun. That small bit of fun was her only release from her ever focused life, and it was her little secret. She lived off of the thrill of her adventures, though she'd never show it.

"Whatever's in there," she whispered to herself, finger resting on the red _BEWARE_  message, "I'll find it."

* * *

 

The next three days passed in hushed anticipation. Generally, Lexa's secrets were expected to be kept tight like a locked door. This secret, though, quickly spread amongst the crew. It was somewhat due to the looming sense of dread at what may lie in the unknown area, but it was also due to a general excitement at what could come of it. By the second day, Lexa felt she had to address the whole crew on the issue, since she knew everyone was aware of the plan.

The third day came, and an eager Gustus stood firmly at the helm. Indra had told him about Lexa's plan almost immediately. He was all for it. The whole crew was waiting. The Sea Commander had explained to them all that she expected a strong easterly wind to pick up on this day. The timing, though, was less certain. It was past noon, and the sails were limp. 

"Commander," Gustus called down. "We've been motionless for an hour. Do you think this is a sign?"

"I don't think so. We have to be patient," Lexa replied, projecting her voice to the higher deck where the helm was. 

"Will do, Commander."

As the sun beat down on the deck, Lexa stood fast, eyes facing east. Beneath her dark clothing, her heart beat wildly as at last the wind began to pick up.


	3. Chapter 3

Lincoln approached Indra a few hours after the wind picked up. "Indra, we've known each other for years. For my own sanity, tell me, please. What do you know about the Commander's 'shortcut'?"

"That's just it, Lincoln. I don't know anything. Neither does the Commander."

"What? What do you mean you don't know anything? You knew about it before anyone."

"That's what I'm saying," Indra insisted. "I don't know anything. Lexa doesn't know anything. But that's the draw, I guess. She's intrigued by the concept of a shortcut."

"It seems foolish... You're telling me you know nothing else?"

"I swear. All I know is that there's a red circle on the map that says 'BEWARE,' and that's where we are."

"Beware? What are we bewaring?" Lincoln was understandably concerned, as was Indra.

"I don't know..." Indra pleaded with Lincoln with her eyes. "But I do know we're going to find out eventually."

Lincoln walked away, up toward the deck. Then, Indra decided to head to the Captain's Quarters. With a swift knock she awaited permission to enter.

"Come in." Lexa called from within. "Ah, Indra. What might I do for you?"

"Well, Commander..." Indra swallowed hard before she continued. "It's the crew. Well, it's us. The original crew. With all due respect, Commander, the others deserve to be on the same page as you. As us..."

Lexa eyed Indra who stood silently beyond the doorframe. Indra averted her gaze in embarrassment.

"Indra, you're right. Go fetch them," Lexa responded in a surprisingly pleasant and calm manner.

"Uh, yes. Right away."

Frantically, Indra searched the ship. She found Lincoln immediately, as he had trailed Indra not long after their conversation ceased. Gusts was near the galley, and Anya was asleep in the cabin. The four of them returned to the office of the Commander. 

"My faithful few, welcome. I first want to apologize," she began. "It's unfair for me to keep secrets from those I trust. Especially to put all of the secrets on one person and expect the secrets to remain completely locked tight. So, I apologize to each of you. But in return, I request something from you."

The four nodded. The Commander continued.

"I need for all of you to trust me. We've been together, the five of us, for years. In all that time, we've been blessed with good fortune. But I want to remind you where that good fortune came from. Nothing we have has come without a crucial decision on my part. Whether or not you've realized it, my gut has almost always been right, and I've never put us through anything we could not handle. 

"So please, trust me. I realize in not telling you the whole truth, I was not being trustful of you, but I want to make this as clear as possible: trusting me will get us where we need to be, I can almost guarantee. Even if it does not, I want my crew to be standing firmly behind me. Now, if you'll all gather around this map, I can illustrate our path."

With the exception of Indra, who had already seen it, the faithful few (Indra always smiled at that nickname) huddled around the map as Lexa showed them the red BEWARE. Lincoln locked eyes with Indra at that moment.

As they were all about to leave the quarters, Lexa added one more thing. "Thank you. All of you. You've given me the best years of my life."

"I'd be lying to say anything different," Anya stated. "I trust you, Lexa. You know this." With a kiss on Lexa's forehead, Anya left, followed by Lincoln and Gustus.

"Indra," Lexa called before she could leave. "I truly appreciate your strength in coming to me. In being so open, you've shown me the importance of being such. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you, Commander."

* * *

 

The second day along the shortcut dawned, and Lexa was one of the first to rise.

 _If there's something here, we should be close to it by now._ Lexa's mind raced as she stared off the bow. The sun was rising right in front of them as they sailed eastward.  _Where is it?_

Higher and higher the sun rose. It was nearing midday.

"Why is she so on edge today?" Anya whispered to Gustus. The whole crew was on the deck, Gustus behind the helm. Everyone was almost silent the entire morning.

"She probably thinks we're to see something today. Can't be sure."

"You're probably right. It just feels like I can't even approach her."

"Do you need to?"

"No... I don't think I do." Anya turned away. 

"What? What is it?"

"Some of the crew... One of my specifically scouted, to be exact... Erris. She's not excited about this and feels as though she's being wronged."

"She's only been aboard a few weeks!" Gustus scoffed. 

"I know. That's why I want to talk to Lexa and see what she says."

Gustus stared, open-mouthed. "You can't do that to the poor girl."

"To Lexa?"

"No! Not to Lexa. Lexa's who is to be feared in this situation. Don't do that to Erris. Talk to her. Advise her to hold off on the worry and paranoia. We're all in the same boat." He laughed at his accidental joke before gathering his composure and continuing. "Explain to her that the Commander knows more than any of us. This shortcut is going to do us well, and we all have to believe in it."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Anya turned and headed to find Erris.

A loud cry from the crow's nest stopped everyone dead in their tracks.

"Land ho!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Land ho!"

Lexa's heart was pounding. Her eyes quickly scanned the horizon, straining against the daylight. 

"Where is it?" She called out.

"Portside, Commander!" 

Lexa, still at the bow snapped her head to her left and squinted. Her dark eye makeup absorbed the sunlight as she stared. Finally, she saw it. A small island lay far, far off. It was hardly visible in the intense light reflecting off the sea, but Lexa's gaze remained fixed upon it. 

"Settle the sails!" She called to the crew. Quickly, the sails were brought in and tied, and the ship became solely affected by the waves. 

"Commander, are we to head for it? Why have we taken in the sails?" Gustus yelled from the helm. 

"I need to think about it. Go about your business, everyone! I shall return shortly with my desires for our progression." She headed down to her quarters, gesturing for Indra to follow.

-

Lincoln and Gustus found Anya shortly.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Gustus' hushed voice still managed to carry as the three of them gathered near the galley.

"Probably planning what to do next." Anya suggested.

"Then why couldn't we be involved?" 

"Hold on," interjected Lincoln. "Indra is first mate, after all. She technically ranks above us, though Lexa rarely treats us as such."

Gustus rolled his eyes. "I mean,  _technically_ , you're right. But what about all the work you and I do? And Anya? She's family!"

"You're all family." A nearly haunting voice interrupted their no-longer-quiet conversation. Lexa had just rounded the corner. "Surprised, are we? I was just coming to get you, as per Indra's request. Actually, I had been planning on inviting you, but I didn't want to remove all of you from the deck at such an important moment. Is that clear?"

Gustus looked down with a small nod. The three of them headed to the Captain's quarters, and Lexa took her seat.

"Now, obviously we have to make a decision. Shall we head ashore? Shall we head toward it and drop anchor and get a good look? Shall we head along our shortcut?" The questions were presented as options rather than a jumping-off point for conversation. This happened often with Commander Lexa. She did not need input on ideas, she needed a focus for those ideas. 

"I think we should get close, but not pull ashore. At least not everyone..." Anya was the first to speak. 

"But is that smart? Remember, this is  _BEWARE-_ land we're talking about. That very island could be the exact thing we're supposed to avoid." Lincoln's retort was firm and calm. "Do you  _really_ think that could be a coverup for something amazing? If it's on multiple maps?"

"You bring some good points to light, Lincoln." The Commander's cool answer met them without her even looking up from the map. "But to answer your last question... I think, maybe. It could be a coverup."

"What could be so dangerous about a little island?" Gustus laughed. He added, "I agree with Anya, but I say send someone ashore. Hell, send me!"

"Not so fast!" Indra could take it no longer. "Let's take a second. The ship isn't moving. We have some time to really think about this."

"That defeats the whole purpose of a shortcut!" Gustus replied.

Lincoln matched it with another. "This whole conversation defeats the purpose of the shortcut. We're wasting time. We were promised a shortcut to get us somewhere faster. Am I wrong?"

"Well, I don't know if I ever made a promise. I did, however, ask all of you to trust me." Lexa finally looked up from the map, clearly frustrated with Lincoln. 

"And I do, Commander. I trust you with every fiber of my being, or else I would not still be on this ship. With that said, I do have a gut feeling this could be bad. We always trust your gut feelings, Lexa. Can't you at least consider mine?"

"Lincoln, I hear you. I hear you, and I see the validity of your concerns. But I require you maintain your composure in a conversation with me. I understand why you are worried. The fate of all of us is in my hands every single day. I am more than accustomed to making these decisions, living with the fear, and being ready to live with the guilt-that is, if I live."

"I understand, Commander."

"Thank you, Lincoln. And believe me, continuing on the shortcut is certainly a possibility at this point. But just like your gut feeling is telling you something, mine is as well. So far I have Anya and Gustus prepared to approach. Lincoln is against it. Indra, what do you think? I know we talked briefly."

"In all honesty, I agree with Lincoln. I am trusting of your decisions, Commander, but I am worried that this could go very poorly for everyone."

"Noted. Well, I am grateful for each of you and your valued input. While Lincoln brought up a good point that this is not ideal for a shortcut, I think we might need to sleep on it. It's growing later and later, and the sun is setting of in the west. Night is falling, and it's been quite the day for us all."

 

* * *

 

 

"I told you I heard it, Clarke. You didn't believe me! No one did. Not even Calliope!"

"Telly, you always think you hear ships! It's happened dozens of times," replied the blonde Siren. She and her sister bobbed up and down, just before the line of jagged rocks and coral meant to destroy ships and trap--and kill--sailors. 

"Well, look what happened this time. A ship is here. And they're not moving! Do you think they're going to approach the island?" Telly was Clarke's younger sister. Her green eyes and dark auburn hair contrasted nicely to Clarke's blond hair and blue eyes. Interestingly, both of them had tails to match their eye color. Clarke's tail was known among their coven to be the most beautiful and enticing, reflecting a striking cerulean with indigo undertones. 

"I... hope so."

"Well, when do we do our thing? I can't remember... It's been so long since the last ship?"

"You mean the song? We don't waste our time unless they get a little closer. Our song has been lost in the wind many a time." Clarke stared intently at the ship. This was Telly's first ship, as Clarke was several years older. 

"Ugh! I hope we get to sing soon. I've been practicing!"

"Trust me, I know you have. The whole coven knows. You've hardly stopped for the last month." Clarke nudged her sister and laughed. 

"Whatever, Clarke. I'm going to tell Calliope that a ship is near!" Telly's emerald tail flashed as she dove down to find their leader.

 _Why aren't you moving?_ She thought. Normally if a ship came this close, it was approaching the island by now. The sun was setting. In her few conquered ships, she'd noticed that nighttime was the best time to strike. Their song resonated particularly strongly at night, and it could easily wake the soundest sleeper. 

Suddenly, an urge struck her. She dove down and swam toward the ship.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was setting and light was fading, but Clarke zipped through the tides at a focused pace. The ship's dark silhouette grew as she approached. A deepening crimson, the water was becoming colder and colder. Finally, she was close enough to see details of the ship. Tiny portholes studded the sides, some with a soft, gold light shining within. 

Clarke swam all the way around, studying the vessel's every curve. She kept a safe distance, but something in her soul told her to get closer. Returning to the shadow of the ship, she surfaced. Her eyes scanned the deck, but she saw no sailors. That was it. She knew she had to just peek inside one of the portholes.

 _It'll be fine. I'll be quick. I'll be quiet. They won't see me. I just want to see one... Just for a moment._ Within seconds, she had swum down to a small porthole. Tentatively she gripped the side, her back against the hull of the ship.  _Just... a little peek._

In a flash, she craned her neck to just barely see into the porthole. Within was a sight she was altogether unprepared for. She had expected a ship full of gruff men, just like every other ship. Instead, she saw a woman. No, she saw a goddess. At a golden throne sat this vision of a woman. Her dark hair was pulled behind her head, and even in profile Clarke could tell she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. 

The woman moved, and Clarke immediately turned and swam back to her home.

 

* * *

 

 

In her quarters, Lexa's mind went back and forth. The last thing she wanted was to endanger her crew and her family. But the main thing she wanted was to approach the island. It was a paradox, and she truly did not know what to do. Her eyes were pinpointed on the  _BEWARE_ on the map before her. It was the source of frustration and wonder, of fear and excitement, of desire and paranoia. 

Something moved in her peripheral vision. She turned her head to the porthole on her wall and saw only a flash of blue and purple. By the time she darted over to peer through it, there was nothing to be seen in the darkening water. She dismissed it as a fish or a simple trick of the eye and thought nothing more of it. She had work to do. There were decisions to make. 

-

Night fell, and the sky was clear. A half moon slowly glided across the dark night sky. As the stars twinkled above, Gustus remained at the helm. He felt himself growing very tired, more than he should be. Looking around, no one else was on the deck. The anchor had been dropped hours prior, in hopes it would reach the seafloor. Against his better judgment, he sat down on the deck. Before long, he was lying on his back, staring at the stars above with heavy eyelids. 

It was as if a faint lullaby were playing in the distance. Consciousness was softly drifting away from him as he crossed over into sleep. 

All was dark; all was still. In the bunks, everyone was fast asleep. Those who had remained awake faded slowly, too. Even the Commander herself was asleep in her chair, slumped atop the map. 

 

* * *

 

"Here she is!" Telly yelled as Clarke returned to the coven's bay. "Clarke it's about time! We're going to sing soon!"

"Welcome, Clarke," a statuesque mermaid said. Calliope, the leader, was nearly two centuries old. Her silver hair reflected the moonlight filtering from above the surface. "Telly told us that there is, indeed, a ship. I could not believe it at first, but as soon as I checked, I was stunned. We have not seen a ship in many, many years, as you well know."

"Indeed," Clarke replied. She was slightly on-edge after what had happened at the ship. Could she really harm a woman so beautiful? Should they harm a woman at all? 

"They are not as close as we'd like, but they are not moving. I suggest Clarke and Zinnia should swim closer and begin the ritual. If their anchor is dropped, we might have some problems, but I know Clarke and Zinnia have honed their skills more than almost anyone in the coven. They can handle any possibility. Once they start the song, a few more can join at a closer distance to shore. This can draw the ship closer; then everyone will join in to complete the ritual." Calliope had experienced many ships in her day. She had seen the ritual completed, and she had seen it fail. This was the longest span in her life without a ship, so there was no way she would let this one go. 

As the coven began to settle down in small side conversations, Clarke approached Calliope. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Clarke?" The Siren's deep blue eyes rivaled Clarke's in beauty but surpassed them in experience and in pain. 

"I know this was foolish, but I already approached the ship."

"You did what?! Clarke, that's more than foolish!"

"I know! And I'm sorry, but something inside me pulled me to that ship. It's been so long, like you said. I just wanted to know what to expect."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What did you find? What is so important that you need to tell me about?"

"There was a woman aboard."

"A woman? On a ship? Was she a servant?" This was the first Calliope had heard of a woman on a ship. 

"I don't think so... She sat on a beautiful golden and red chair. Real gold. She wasn't a servant at all."

"That is rather odd..." Calliope trailed off. 

"Well, what do we do?" Asked Clarke.

"About what?"

"About  _her_ _!_ What do we do about her? As Sirens, aren't we supposed to deal with men?"

"We deal with sailors."

"Will the song work on a woman? I thought half of the power was the sexual appeal?"

"Don't think like that, Clarke. It is about the sexual appeal! Who is to say a woman cannot be attracted to that?"

Clarke's heart pounded in her ears. She had nearly fallen in love with the woman on the ship. What if the song worked and she died? This could not happen again.

"I guess you're right," Clarke replied with hesitation. "Thank you, Calliope. I'll find Zinnia and we'll be on our way."

"Thank you, darling. You're about to provide such an essential service for this coven, and we need you."

Clarke swam off to look for Zinnia. It did not take long to find the richly deep complexion and golden-orange tail in the crowd of Sirens. Zinnia was known for her powerful voice and her poise and grace, so she was a natural choice for the position. She was also very, very kind and had a caring heart. Clarke had an idea. 

"Hey Zinnia," she called as the two of them slowly swam past the coral barrier. 

"Yes, Clarke?" 

"Do you mind if I try a little solo after we get started? I want to practice, and I know you'll nail it."

"Of course I don't mind! I'd love to hear it." She smiled at Clarke. 

-

Finally they were close. The two of them surfaced and spotted a man at the helm.

 _So there are definitely men on board._ Clarke thought. 

"Ready?" Zinnia whispered. Her tight curls, heavy with water, fell down to her shoulders. 

"Ready!" 

The two of them began the song. The beginning of the song was meant to calm everyone aboard to sleep. The next step of the ritual was to wake one or two who might bring the ship closer. Eventually, when the whole coven joined in, it was to put the crew into a deep trance. 

They watched as the man at the helm sat down on the deck before lying flat on his back. A smile crept across Clarke's face to see the power of their song at work. Their unison melody was haunting and soothing, piercing through the entire ship. It never took long to put the crew to sleep. It was Clarke's time to enact her plan.

"Do you trust me?" She asked Zinnia.

"Y-yes. I do. Why? Why did you stop singing?"

"There's something I need to do."

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Clarke, what do you mean? You said you wanted to try a solo, right?" Zinnia was horribly torn. Should she continue singing? What could her blonde companion be up to?

"You really, really have to trust me, okay?"

"I mean, I do... But, Clarke, I have no idea what you're doing. What are you asking me to trust you about?"

"Just... keep singing for a moment. Please." Clarke grabbed Zinnia's hands in hers, pleading. 

"Fine. I'm scared, though. I don't know what's going on!" 

"I'll explain, I swear it. Just keep singing for now. I'll tell you when I want to try my solo, okay?" She released Zinnia's hands and swam like a barracuda to the ship. Frantically, she swam from porthole to porthole, unsure where she had originally seen the woman. In some were men, asleep; others were empty or dark inside. Finally, she found her. Asleep on the table in front of her, the same woman from before was just as beautiful as Clarke remembered from earlier that day. 

She searched her mind. Growing up, her coven of Sirens had taught her their song, just as every young Siren was taught. Each coven, though, had its own separate song, all stemming from the same ancient language. This language spoke beyond the sense of hearing and broke into the realm of doing, closely mirroring mind control. The ritual for Clarke's coven used several syllable and word combinations to put victims to sleep and to bring their ship closer, but there were other possibilities. It was a long shot, but Clarke knew that she could target this woman directly with her song, telling her to do something different from the rest of the crew. 

At last, an idea dawned on her. She sprint-swam back to Zinnia, who was faithfully continuing the ritual. Zinnia's eyes were wide as Clarke approached, signaling her confusion and mild frustration. 

"Okay, Zinnia. I know what I need to really do. First, swim to the other side of the ship, okay? Keep singing, and I'll do my solo part over on this side. Everything will make sense in a minute!" She darted away, and left Zinnia. The moonlight's reflection against Zinnia's skin was a pale blue as she swam to the other side of the large ship. In her heart, she trusted Clarke, but in her mind, she was wary. 

On the port side, Clarke swam to the small window into the woman's room. At this time, she began singing. Drawing on her knowledge from youth, she did her best. Her lyrical commands roughly translated how she intended; she gazed in excitement as the sleeping woman stood up and left her room. Still singing, Clarke surfaced. Before long, the dark-haired woman was on the deck, approaching the railing. At this time, Clarke sang louder and the helmsman stood up, still in a trance. The woman sat in one of the lifeboats and the muscular man grabbed the ropes and lowered her to the water. 

Within the lifeboat, the thin frame of the woman slumped to the floor, entirely asleep. Clarke grabbed one of the ropes hanging from the lifeboat and resumed the song with Zinnia. 

"Zinnia!" She called through the water. She listened as the song grew louder. Within moments, Zinnia was beside her, still singing. The singing stopped abruptly when she noticed Clarke's hand on the rope leading to the surface.

"What? Clarke, what is this?!" A thick layer of shock-and a thin layer of betrayal-was detectable in her voice. 

"Hush, we have to keep singing! At least one of us does!" Clarke hissed. "If you keep singing softly, I can explain, okay?"

"Fine," replied the golden-tailed Siren before she started the ritual song once more.

"Okay, so earlier today, I came up to the ship." She saw Zinnia's eyes widen again, as if each additional word put her in a further state of disbelief. "And I saw a  _woman_ inside! A woman! And she looked like she was important. I can even show you where I found her. It looks like she might be the captain! Anyway, I had an idea. If we can get her to the island, the rest of the ship will  _have_ to come close, right? And plus, we might be able to learn something from her to get more ships to come! The possibilities are endless!"

"You had your turn, now it's mine. Start singing," Zinnia requested. Clarke complied. "We haven't even gotten them to take up the anchor yet. What's going to happen when the next wave of the coven comes out to help bring in the ship?"

The two continued to trade off singing and speaking as the conversation continued. The conversation might appear humorous to an outsider, to see singing and talking happening at the same time with such a level of hearing and of listening taking place nonetheless. To Clarke's appreciation, Zinnia was rather understanding and level-headed as always. 

"There's... no wind!" Clarke was fumbling for an explanation, as she had not thought this far in advance. Her main priority was to save the woman from the ship's nearly inevitable destruction. "We couldn't get the ship to come in anyway if there's no wind! This way, we'll basically force them to come close!"

"What if she's not the captain? What if she's expendable and they clear away?" Zinnia wanted to trust Clarke; she truly did. This was a lot to believe in, though. 

"Either way, a crew member will be missing when the sun rises. It could be their captain, or it could not be. But either way, Zinnia."

"What will Calliope say?"

"Let me deal with that. I promise not to get you in any trouble. If anyone asks, I forced you into it with my bossy personality and leader complex." She smiled at her companion.

"Fine. So, what, do we just bring her to the island now? We're going to pass the others along the way. I can hear them now!" They both stopped talking and singing, and they could, indeed, hear a few more coven members singing in the distance, growing nearer.

"We'll say we couldn't get the anchor up! I'll take the fall, I'll say I made you let me try it on my own and I messed up so bad that I switched up anchor and lifeboat." 

"That's... a stretch. But if you're willing to go for it, I suppose I am."

"Thanks, Zinnia. You're the best. This could really... pay off for us, I'm sure."

-

As expected, the second wave of Sirens sent to follow them was thoroughly taken off-guard. However, Clarke's story went off without a hitch, and the lullaby song continued as Clarke dragged the lifeboat behind her. Inside the tiny vessel, the beautiful woman remained asleep. 

Before addressing Calliope, Clarke made sure the watercraft was safely cast ashore, deeply into the sand. Her heart racing, she left the woman and the boat and slowly swam back into the bay. 

Calliope's deep sapphire eyes were nearly squinted shut with anger as Clarke approached. The entire coven watched in anticipation. Word spread rapidly upon their return, and in the span of Clarke's five-minute detour, everyone knew what was about to happen.

"Clarke, how could you?!" A thunderous voice echoed from inside Calliope's chest, almost resembling a roar. "You were sent out, trusted to do your part, but you went and did something else entirely! Do you not remember what happened last time you got so  _involved_ in the ritual?!"

Clarke looked away, ashamed. "I'm... sorry, Calliope."

"You will call me Matron. After what you've done, you do not deserve to be on such friendly terms with the leader of your coven."

"Yes, Matron Calliope." 

"You've potentially ruined things for us forever. With this sailor on our island, who's to say what her crew will do? What if they destroy everything we have? What if they find us and kill every last one of us with no mercy?"

"Like we've shown mercy to sailors?!" Clarke was becoming outraged with defensiveness. A collective gasp overtook the coven. 

"You know what you are, Clarke. You are a Siren. She is a human. She is a  _sailor!_ Sirens kill sailors, and that's all that interaction has  _ever_ been. You know this, Clarke. What could have possibly possessed you to do something so foolish?! And to put poor Zinnia in danger, too?"

Zinnia was nearby, her head down in embarrassment. Deep down, she did not want Clarke to receive the brunt of this verbal assault. Zinnia could have stopped it at any time, but she did not. 

"This was never meant to put anyone in danger, I-"

"You put us in danger! That's exactly what you did, Clarke!"

"And I'm sorry! I apologize Cal- Matron Calliope! I apologize to the whole coven. To Zinnia, to Telly, to everyone. But what if something good comes out of this?"

"Foolish! That's foolish!" Calliope scoffed, her silver hair diffusing the moonlight around her entire body. "What good could come of this that would not come of performing the ritual as we always have?!"

"I think she might be the captain! If we have the captain, we have power here." A few mutters and whispers could be heard among some of the Sirens.

"Not likely! A woman captain? And even if she were captain, we have no power apart from our song."

"Do you ever wonder why we never see ships anymore? Maybe she'll know! If we have her as a prisoner, we can get answers from her. We can lure her crew in and kill them all!" Insider herself, Clarke cringed at the possibility of destroying this woman, but whatever she needed to say to regain the coven's trust, she was willing to try it.

More whispers.

"Well, I promised your mother I would take care of you and your sister, so I won't be casting you out. But remember this, Clarke the Golden, if any harm comes to this coven from this, it is entirely your fault. You have until sundown tomorrow to convince me this was a good idea." Calliope swam away to her small cave on the other side of the island, away from the bay. 

Telly tentatively approached her sister and whispered in her ear, "Clarke, are we going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine, Telly. I promise you."


	7. Chapter 7

Lexa was awoken by piercing sunlight and the sound of crashing waves. As a pirate, these sensations were not at all unfamiliar, but they certainly were to a pirate who fell asleep in her quarters. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. Squinting against the harsh light, she let her eyes adjust. Her surroundings came into focus. She was in a boat a hundred times smaller than the one she fell asleep in. It was a lifeboat!

"But how..." She muttered under her breath. Her quick eyes darted around. She was on a lifeboat, lodged ashore on some beach. Memories flooded back to her from the previous day; was this the island they had seen? How had she gotten here? Before long, she realized her head was throbbing as if she had had too much to drink the night before, but hers had been a dry ship for years (due to that very problem and a few lushes she once called crewmen). It was very unlike her to not remember something, and yet here she was in a dinghy of a lifeboat on an unknown beach, lacking any recollection of how she had gotten there. It became clear to her that she was in a small inlet, as some of the beach extended even further around the water where she was.

Impulsively, she reached for her cutlass. It was not there. Neither was its sheath. She was still in her bedclothes, a satin white shirt tucked into long underwear. From an early age, she decided never to sleep in a nightgown for fear of needing to spring into action at any point. However, in this case, the clothing on her body mattered not in terms of her preparedness. Commander Lexa, the name of whom could cause a sailor's blood to run cold, was essentially stranded, held hostage by something she could not remember. 

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the sun had just risen no more than an hour before. Tentatively, she gripped each side of the lifeboat and hoisted herself to her feet. She stepped gracefully over the starboard side and plunged her foot into the sand. While she would never admit this to anyone, stepping on land was a freeing and grounding experience for her. With the years and years she had spent at sea, her body became almost accustomed to rocking and swaying and hard wooden floors. The way damp sand absorbed her feet, spreading out the pressure and tension and letting her sink slightly made her a type of calm she rarely got to be. That calm was interrupted by a twig snapping from the small forest behind her. 

Heart racing, Lexa turned around. There was only a small bird, white with a yellow head, sitting on a tree branch. She scanned the edge of the trees, even approaching them for a better look, but she could see nothing. Had she had a weapon of some sort, she would have been in and back out of that forest in mere minutes having found, drawn, and quartered whatever or whomever might have been in there watching her. However, being without even her trusted cutlass, she decided against it. It was most likely an animal of some sorts.

It then occurred to her to check for footprints.  _If anyone brought me here and headed for the woods or anywhere else, they'll have left a trail._

Frantically, she retraced her own footprints as to avoid making any more. She took care to check near the water, fully aware that the tide would have washed any prints away. To her own horror and slight intrigue, there were none anywhere near her. Was it possible that she had come here of her own accord? Staring at the lifeboat, she began to wonder where the  _Heda_ was. Instantly, she gazed along the horizon until she spotted it, faded with the distance and the sunlight haze. It hadn't moved, she suspected. It was a relief to know she was not stranded, but she was well aware of the distance between her and her home. What may have been a less than a mile's walk was an insurmountable obstacle covered in seawater. 

An idea appeared in her mind. If the lifeboat got her to this island, it could get her back to the ship. Within seconds, she had picked up the lifeboat and turned its bow to the water. She took a few deep breaths, pushed the front of the boat into the sea and stepped one foot inside. From where she was to the opening of the inlet was less than 50 feet, and once she was clear of that line, it would be a straight shot to the  _Heda._

 _It all seems too easy,_ something inside her said. In her years at sea, she knew that if something seemed too easy, it probably was. It was then that she realized there were no paddles, no oars. She had no way to control the lifeboat once it was in the water. With an even mix of relief that she had noticed in time and annoyance that she had one more obstacle to overcome, she stepped back out of the lifeboat. With a forest full of trees and leaves, it did not take long for her to rig herself two sturdy paddles, with one as a backup. Lexa had learned to always have a backup of essential items. 

With a proud smirk on her face, she made her way to the edge of the trees and stepped onto the sand. A heart-stopping terror gripped her as she looked ahead to see the lifeboat floating out to sea, nearly to the border of the inlet. She dropped her makeshift paddles and broke into a sprint, running along the inlet to the edge of the island's coastline. She was running parallel to the boat's path, hoping to be able to cut it off before it drifted into the open ocean. To her surprise and confusion, it seemed like the boat was picking up speed, nearly going as fast as she was. The amount of land in front of her was dwindling, and before long, she reached the water, a split second after the boat. Still running full-speed, she made powerful strides into the water, running, then hopping, then swimming. But before long, the lifeboat was further from her than she was from the shore.

Gutted, she turned around and started to swim back. A sense of determination gripped her. She thought, _i_ _f I can make paddles, I can make a raft._

It was nearly noontime, and all of Lexa's progress had been carried away by the tide. Something still did not sit right in her mind. How could the lifeboat speed up? She hadn't imagined that. At any naturally possible rate, she could've outpaced it 10 times out of 10, but it nearly went as fast as she could run.

* * *

 

"Clarke, wake up!" Telly's voice woke Clarke from dreams where she was walking on the beach. Never before in her life had she ever even thought about having legs, but in this dream she was walking. 

"Yeah? What? What's going on?" Still clinging to unconsciousness, Clarke opened her eyes to see Telly just a few feet from her. Their kelp forest living area kept them shielded from anyone and anything that might go by, but sometimes Clarke wished she had it all to herself.

"Well, your hostage is probably going to wake up soon, and I don't know if you remember, but if  _anything_ goes wrong with that... you're doomed. We're doomed." A slight tinge of condescension hung in Telly's voice. 

"Of course I remember, Telly. Goodness, I've already got the whole coven mad at me... I don't need you mad, too." Clarke was still embarrassed about the verbal lashing she had received from their honorable Matron Calliope. Still, deep down, Clarke knew she had made a good choice. 

"I'm not mad, Clarke. I promise. I'm just a little worried," Telly admitted. "I don't want the coven to be mad at you! I want everything to be okay! I'm just scared that things are never going to be the same again."

"Telly, if things are always the same, you're never truly living. Always remember that." Clarke tried as hard as she could to believe the words leaving her mouth. Her whole life had been monotony and routine, so who was she to try and speak this advice to a child? 

"I... I guess. So what are you going to do about... the sailor?" Telly's condescension was replaced with fear and anxiety.

"I suppose I should go check on her. The ritual really affects humans' minds and bodies pretty strongly, so I doubt she's awake. Her whole ship is probably still asleep, since they heard the song so many times. She's, I'm sure, still passed out in the little lifeboat." Again, Clarke hoped the last part to be true. She swam to the surface, leaving Telly in the kelp, advising her to go spend time with the coven. She told her something along the lines of,  _we don't want the whole coven mad at us, so one of us has to keep the peace._ It was a lot to put on her little sister, but Telly was stronger than Telly even knew. 

The inlet the sailor was in was not far from the kelp forest, and Clarke had planned it this way. In just seconds, she was at the edge of the inlet, peeking around to the beach and the lifeboat. The woman was, indeed, awake. She was near the trees, stepping into them and back out repeatedly, rarely looking at the shore. Then, Clarke noticed the lifeboat. It was turned around, facing the water. The previous night, she had taken care to remove the paddles from the lifeboat, but it appeared that the sailor woman was fashioning some out of trees.

She had to act, and she had to act fast. She raced down the small channel of the inlet, nearing the shore. As it got shallower and shallower, Clarke's heart was racing. She could be spotted at any moment, but she did not want to be seen. Not yet. Eventually, it got shallow enough where she was crawling on her arms, her tail limp behind her. The sailor was well into the forest at this point, thankfully, and Clarke quickly snatched the bow of the vessel and pulled it quietly into the water. It was a question in her mind whether to destroy it or send it out to sea. Either way, she had to act quickly. The woman was proving her resourcefulness, so Clarke decided to pull the boat out of her reach. She popped her head to the surface and scanned the beach in time to see the woman exiting the tree line, paddles in hand. In a split second, Clarke was back underwater, swimming powerfully against the incoming tide. 

With the lifeboat above her, Clarke powered forward using the strength of her blue-violet tail, gripping the boat tightly in her hands. She saw the edge of the inlet's channel and pushed even harder. Undoubtedly, the woman was running and willing to swim, so Clarke had to make sure to get the boat a good distance from shore. The seafloor beneath her was dropping, becoming studded with sharp coral and stones. She was just about to the Sirens' line of traps, so she let go of the lifeboat and turned around. Darting back toward shore, she saw a pair of legs and most of a torso at the surface of the water, still swimming. 

The woman's body proved very beautiful, her tight garments held close to her skin by the force of the water. Her elegant swimming strokes propelled her gracefully, but Clarke knew the distance was too great. She hoped the woman would turn around--especially so she would not have to save her. Finally, the swimming stopped, and she turned back to shore. With a sigh of relief, Clarke slowly headed back to the kelp forest to make her plan to meet this woman face-to-face. It had to be perfect. Not just for her sake, but for the whole coven's. If this first interaction went poorly, all of Calliope's worries could come true in an instant. 

 

* * *

 

 

"Gustus, wake up!" A sharp kick to the abdomen woke him from a deep slumber. The bright sun hurt his eyes as he sat up to see Lincoln standing above him.

"What? What's going on?"

"You were passed out here. Are you drunk?"

"I haven't had a drop, I swear," Gustus replied, growing defensive. It then became clear to him how much pain he was in. Most of his muscles were sore, and his head was pounding. "But, damn, does it feel like it..."

Lincoln helped Gustus to his feet. "Are you sure? Nonetheless, it seems the whole crew has been afflicted with something. It's almost midday, and not a single person on this ship has woken up, apart from me and you. The anchor is still down, but everyone in the bunks is still sleeping. Anya, Indra, everyone."

"Even the Commander?" Gustus squeezed his eyes shut, becoming dizzy from standing. 

"I knocked on the door to her quarters, but she didn't open it. I'm assuming she's still asleep, too."

"Well, go try again. I'll get Indra and Anya, and we'll work on rousing everyone. The Commander is making that big decision today about..." Gustus gestured off the port of the ship to the small island in the distance.

"Shall we meet back here?"

"Let's meet at Lexa's quarters. That way we'll all be ready to talk to her."

The two men parted ways. Lincoln headed to the captain's quarters, while Gustus went to wake and fetch Indra and Anya. Anya was known to be a heavy sleeper, but Indra was awake within seconds. Once Anya rose, the three of them headed to Lexa's, all terribly confused about what was happening. 

"Gustus, thank the stars." Lincoln met them with a look of concern on his face. "I've knocked. I've pounded. I've nearly knocked this door off its hinges, but the Commander won't get up. It's locked, so don't ask if I've tried that yet."

"I've got a key," Indra inserted. As first mate, one of her privileges--and duties--was to have access to the captain's quarters should anything happen to the captain. She quickly pulled it from a pocket inside her shirt and opened the door. Inside, Lexa's quarters remained untouched. It was almost as if they had been empty for decades. Lexa was clearly gone. 

A manhunt took place on the ship, and every crew member was woken and forced to look. Within 10 minutes, every square inch of the ship had been searched, and Lexa was nowhere to be found.

"Wait!" Cried Anya. "One of the lifeboats is missing!"

"Are you sure?" Indra asked her. The entire crew was gathered on the deck, each having reported their findings (or, rather, their lack of findings). 

"Yes! We have three lifeboats, but there are only two here."

"Can you be sure?"

"I swear to you. I know the number of lifeboats on the  _Heda_."


	8. Chapter 8

If Lexa had to pick one word to describe the sun as she scrounged for downed trees, it would be  _violent._ It was intense, even as she searched in the underbrush, shaded by trees. It was as if the leaves were translucent, letting some sun through. Drenched with sweat and still wet from her swim, everything stuck to her: her clothing, sand, leaves, salt. In short, she was exhausted and miserable. After waking on a beach with no memory of paddling herself there, she had to build a raft to get back to her ship. But she was determined; she would get back to the  _Heda._ Back to the map.

 _The map..._ Her mind began to race. She was exactly where the map warned her not to go, and she woke up stranded on an island. Perhaps this was part of what she was supposed to beware after all. Again, intrigue flooded her heart with adrenaline. She stood up, frozen, wondering if she should explore the island before trying to leave it. Maybe she could find something. But what would she find? Something was suspicious about this island. The fact that the lifeboat was seemingly moving on its own still puzzled her, as it seems to be beyond any reasonable explanation.

That decided it. Lexa finished gathering thick branches and tree trunks, dropped them all on the beach, and re-entered the woods empty-handed. This was not the first time she had explored the forest of a far-off island. Years before, Lexa had heard word of a hidden treasure on a hidden island in a hidden corner of the map. Naturally, her first instinct was to look for it, and so she had. And she had found it. This was early on in her career at sea, and it was one of the defining moments of the illustrious Commander Lexa's conquests. 

This was different, though. This time, she had no clue what she was looking for. But she was ready to look. 

 

* * *

 

"Clarke the Golden, come forward." Calliope's voice was thunderous the night before, but on this day it was much more timid as she called from outside the kelp forest. Clarke's heart stopped, but she proceeded to face the Matron of her coven. 

"Yes, Matron Calliope?"

"I have thought about our little conversation last night."

"I wanted to apologize again. I understand why you are upset with me. I've put this coven in a terrible position..." Clarke was slowly admitting all of this out loud, her doubts and fears coalescing as she spoke. "You were right... After what happened last time, I should've learned not-"

"It was terrible of me to bring that up. You were much younger then, and even I know you've matured since then. But, Clarke, what the rest of the coven does not know is the truth. I know you brought the sailor here on purpose. Zinnia might not know, Telly might not know... But I know, Clarke. So listen to me." 

The blonde perked her head up to meet Calliope's sharp gaze. "Yes?"

"That promise I made to your mother does not obligate me to be nice to you. You need to prove yourself to me, Clarke. If something goes wrong, you'd better be ready to fix it. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Clarke answered.  She was studying Calliope's facial expressions as they spoke. She noticed the elder's brow was furrowed angrily, mouth turned down. But in her eyes, behind several layers of stern admonition, Clarke saw that Calliope was afraid. More than anything else, this broke Clarke's heart. Her selfish actions had not only put them all in danger, but even Calliope was scared about what could happen. 

"Thank you. You should go check on her. And while you're doing that, maybe you could check on the ship, too. I've got a few out there, now, but perhaps you could relieve them. Don't do anything absurd, though, Clarke." She nodded astutely before swimming away.

Clarke did just that. She had no more time to plan what she'd say to the woman. She had to go find her. She had to convince her to stay calm. To relax. Maybe they could form an alliance. Or maybe, somehow, the two of them could be together. 

She reached the surface near the inlet and looked around. The woman was nowhere to be seen. Clarke's heart started racing in fear as she swam the entire circumference of the small island She stayed low, barely breaching the surface every so often. She wanted to talk to her, sure, but she wanted to have control in that situation. She'd lose control the second she was spotted, so she stayed just inches below the air. The ship was still there, and she hadn't heard from anyone in the coven that they'd seen the woman go by, but the woman was nowhere to be found on any of the beaches. 

 _That means she's in the forest somewhere. Or maybe..._ Suddenly, Clarke had an idea. She dove down, swimming to a rockier corner of the coast. Spires and crags stuck up from the seafloor, jagged and imposing. Finally, she found it. A small opening in the rock was right where she remembered it to be. A painful realization hit her.  _I won't fit._

"Clarke?" A voice startled her from behind her. 

"Telly? What are you doing over here?" Clarke tried to calm herself. Between the frantic search for the sailor and the shocking surprise from her sister, she was rather panicked and frazzled. 

"I was about to ask you that..." Telly raised one eyebrow. "I came to look for you, okay? I got tired of talking to everyone, so I went home... But then you weren't there, so I've been swimming laps looking for you!  _So_ what are you doing?"

"You haven't been swimming laps!  _I've_ been swimming laps, and I haven't seen you at all." Clarke raised an eyebrow in response. 

"Whatever! I've been looking for you, though. So WHAT are you doing?! Why are you swimming all over?" Telly pleaded, annoyed with her elder sister.

"Looking for this," Clarke replied, gesturing to the hole in the side of the island. 

"The path... to the Natal Pool? It's always been there. Why were you looking for it? You're not having a baby are you?!"

"No! Of course not! You would already know if I were having a baby. Everyone would know, silly. No, I was looking for it... Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't freak out."

"Tell me!"

"Alright." Clarke took a moment to collect her thoughts and plan how to best deliver her information to this young child. "So the sailor isn't on the shore... anywhere. So I think she's in the middle of the island. And since the Natal Pool is in the middle of the island..."

"You're going to swim to the Natal Pool?!" It seemed every time Clarke spoke, Telly became more shocked and more confused. 

"I was. But I just realized that I definitely can't fit."

"Well, duh. Everyone knows the passageway opens wider for pregnant Sirens because of a special song you only learn when you're about to have a baby. It's one of the first things we learn!"

"Exactly. And after that, our mothers swim back out to sea and let us bathe in the healing waters of the Pool, then we swim back through the tiny channel to meet everyone. But now I'm too big. And you're not."

Telly's jaw dropped. "You want  _me_ to talk to her? That's crazy, Clarke! I can't do that! You heard Calliope last night... if anything goes wrong, we-"

"If anything goes wrong, it's my fault. And my fault only. I promised you we'd be okay, and I'm still sticking to that promise. I just think swimming to the middle of the island might be the only way to get her out any time soon. I won't be able to talk to her unless she comes out."

"But... but..." The little girl's lip began to quiver. "I'm scared."

"Don't be scared! I promised you we'd be okay, so please remember that. I'm only asking you to do this because I  _need_ you to, okay?" Clarke grabbed her sister's hand in her left and brushed the auburn-red hair behind one ear with her right. 

"Okay, Clarke. I'll try. What if I get stuck in the tunnel? Or what if the sailor hurts me? Or what if-"

"Telly! It'll be okay! All you need to do is swim through it and once you get through it, look for her. Maybe don't tell her you're a Siren right away. I kind of want to be the one to tell her about all of this. So just stay in the water, no lower than your bellybutton. We don't want anything attracting her eye. Just convince her to come to the beach. Any side. Doesn't matter because I'll find her and talk to her."

"Alright. Well, should I go now?" It was typical Telly to interrupt a somber moment with a silly question.

"Yes, I think that would be best. The Natal Pool has a great view of just about everything near it, so if she's there, you'll see her. Pretend you're just a human swimming. Convince her this isn't a strange island, necessarily. You're just a young girl going for a swim. Point her in one direction, and tell her something exciting is happening on the beach in that direction. Anything you have to do to get her out from in there."

Telly swam quickly to Clarke and grabbed her in a tight embrace. Next, she dove headfirst into the abyss-like tunnel. Fortunately, the passageway was illuminated by some bioluminescent plankton and algae species. It was a tight squeeze, but there was plenty of room as she traversed the pale blue darkness. 

Finally, ahead of her was a light. It was the Natal Pool, no doubt. 


	9. Chapter 9

On the  _Heda_ , chaos was brewing. Indra, as first mate, was acting as captain in Lexa's absence. If nothing else, Indra knew getting the Commander back was the top priority of everyone aboard. All the crew members were still suffering from headaches and mild pains, unknowingly due to the Sirens' song, but they fought through it, still gathered on the deck.

"We have to go get her!" One crewman shouted.

"It's foolish to leave the ship! Foolish for her, but it's even more foolish for any of us," cried another.

"Enough!" Indra yelled over them all. Everyone became silent. "None of us know what's going on. None of us have the right answer here, but that doesn't mean we can't find  _an_ answer. Lexa is missing from the  _Heda._ That's all we know. A lifeboat is also missing, which tells us she took it. If someone's missing from a ship and a lifeboat is also gone, there's a good chance said person took said lifeboat." 

Soft murmurs were the response.

She continued. "No secrets, nothing to hide. Lexa was excited about whatever might be on that island. Who's to say she didn't sneak off in the middle of the night to go check things out? That's not at all unlike the Commander. She's done similar things before, remember. With her excitement over the island and her propensity to explore  uncharted territory tell me she's right there."

The crew gazed in the direction of the island, as indicated by Indra's stark gesture. She held her arm parallel to the deck, index finger pointed directly at the island as she went on.

"I know Lexa is not personally one to ask the majority's opinion, but I think it might be worthwhile. All in favor of sending a reconnaissance lifeboat to the island to look for her?"

Aside from some particularly gung-ho galleymen, there were only a few quiet ayes among the crew. 

"All in favor of waiting another night and day for her return?"

This time, the response was more overwhelming. Anya, Gustus, and Lincoln had all voiced their opinions with Indra before this meeting was called. None of them wanted to go to the island, especially with the sun setting. Gustus had expressed interest in searching for the Commander the following day, but even he was unnerved by the thought of the night's approach. 

"It's settled, then. We shall wait. If she is not back by midday tomorrow, we will send Gustus and Perrim ashore," Indra announced before stepping down from the crate upon which she had been standing. Her finger was still pointed at the island, even as she headed below deck to the captain's quarters. 

Grabbing the key, she fumbled the door open and closed it behind her. This was the only place she could be alone with no chance of an interruption. Years before, she and Lexa had made a plan. Should something happen to Lexa, Indra was to take over all operations. In Lexa's quarters, she had her plans hidden in a safe behind a large brown and green tapestry. Only Indra knew of Lexa's plans, but she had never seen them, nor had she read them.

Still rattled from the thought of her captain never returning, as well as the sudden thrust into power, her hands shook as she pulled the tapestry aside. The safe was right where the Commander had promised. It was quickly opened, as Indra had a key to it, too. A stack of papers, a few maps, and some money sat inside the safe. With a shaky hand, she reached for the papers.

The first page was blank, except for one word: INDRA. She turned it over, and saw Lexa's compact handwriting.

_Indra,_

_If you are reading this, it is because of necessity. Beyond this page, you will find my everything, my mind. In these plans lie my secrets and my past. Be mindful of what you choose to do with them. You certainly do not have to follow them all, but there are a few specific places I want the_ Heda _to go before she's retired. Please, Indra, be wise like I know you are._

_One word of caution, should you read too much, you might become as engulfed in it as I am. You might start to think and feel what I think and feel... Perhaps you might finally understand why I did whatever I did to prevent me from returning for these plans._

_x Lexa_

 

Indra suddenly remembered more detailed instructions. Lexa had planned for something just like this. If she was missing, but not confirmed dead, Indra was to gather the plans, but she was not necessarily to read them yet. Inside herself, Indra felt a war between her honor and her curiosity.

 

* * *

 

"Just... swim through?" Telly asked, fearful. "What if I get stuck?"

"You won't get stuck. It's not as narrow as they say. You're still a child... There's nowhere in that tunnel that's too narrow for you to get through." Again, Clarke found herself trying to convince herself of the words leaving her mouth. If she said it out loud, it had to be true, right?

"But what if I do get stuck? You know I don't like small spaces. Remember that time we visited Venice's little cave? Remember how I freaked out? Clarke, I can't go through there; I can't. I'm sorry. What if I get stuck?" Her auburn hair undulated with the tides, framing her young face. Apprehension was present in her eyes and her brow was furrowed. Telly was never one to back down from a challenge, so Clarke noticed just how scared her sister was. 

"I have an idea. Let's make a rope out of kelp and tie it around your wrist. If anything goes wrong, tug on the rope three times, and I'll pull you out."

"But... what if the rope snaps? You're going to be pulling my arm but what if my arm is what's stuck?"

"Don't be so in your head about this, Telly. Please, just do this for me. Go talk to her. I promise you can swim all the way through. Here, why don't you go check? Just swim as far as you can. I'll even tie the rope around your tail so I can pull you backward." Before Telly could answer, Clarke zipped back to the kelp forest to grab enough to make a strong rope. Within minutes, she was back, dragging long tendrils of kelp behind her as she swam. Immediately, she started to braid and tie strands together to fashion a rope.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Not when the safety of the whole coven is at stake, I'm not," Clarke answered. She felt so guilty putting her sister in this position. What had once been entirely on Clarke was now being shoved onto Telly. If Telly messed things up, or if she did get stuck could not get out of the tunnel, Clarke would never be able to forgive herself. Sure, Clarke could wait until the sailor came back to the beach, but who knew how long that could be. Her ship had certainly noticed her absence at this point, and Clarke remembered more small boats than just the one she had carried the sailor in. It wasn't long before a rescue mission began, so it was a race against time. This opportunity to talk to her might be their best chance. 

"That's not fair, Clarke! I haven't done anything, and now you're making it seem like if I don't do this, the coven will be destroyed because of me."

"No! Of course that's not true, Telly. I love you, and I trust you. That's why I'm asking you to do this. I'd never, ever make you do something I didn't think you could handle. You're the only one in this coven who I can count on right now..."

"Whose fault is that, though?"

"Telly, don't patronize me, please. I know it's my fault. I haven't forgiven myself. But... I need you right now. Please, Telly, can you do this for me?" Clarke's lower lip was quivering as a lump grew in her throat.

Telly inhaled deeply and closed her eyes before speaking at a near whisper. "Okay. I'll do it. For you. For the coven."

Instantly, Clarke took her sister in her arms and pulled her close. "Thank you, Telly." 

"You're hurting me! If you want me to do this impossible task for you, you should at least try not to crush me..." She smirked at Clarke. "So what do I say to her... Wow, I really can't believe there's a woman who's a sailor!"

"Not just any sailor... I think she's the captain, remember? That's why this is so important. You just need to convince her to come to the beach." She thought of a second beneath the scattering light beams refracting through small waves above. "All you need to do is just show your waist up. She doesn't have to see your tail... Really, she shouldn't see your tail. Maybe you can convince her to go back to the beach. Send her in one direction; tell her that there are people on... that side of the island!"

"Where are you pointing?"

"Nothing specific... Just that side of the island. That way, she'll think she's headed for safety, and that's when I'll swoop in. Her guard will be down." She smiled to herself, hoping Telly wouldn't notice.

"Hmm..." Telly pondered for a moment. "I guess that could work, really."

"Exactly. So that's all you need to do. Swim through the tunnel, wait for her to reach you... It shouldn't take long; the island isn't very big. So just wait for her. When she reaches you, point her to where we decided. Remember, that's west, so the sun sets over there. That's where I'll be."

"Alright." Telly closed her eyes once more before making her move. She reached for the opening to the tunnel. "Can you... tie the rope to my tail please?"

"Of course. Remember, just pull it if you need me to pull you." Once more, Clarke embraced her sister. "Thanks, Telly. You're the best sister anyone could ever have."

"Just get off me, would you?" Telly blushed, a slight smile cracking on her face. As Clarke tied the rope, Telly put both of her hands inside the tunnel. It was certainly wide enough as far as she could see. Most of the tunnel was illuminated with a faint blue; legend and history stated it was part of the Sirens' magic, but Telly also had a feeling some glowing plankton might be responsible, too. 

Before long, Telly found a good rhythm: a quick pump of the tail, followed by a crawling motion with her hands, then repeat. This felt like a safe pace for her, as she always kept her hands out in front of her to sense the width of the tunnel. Occasionally, it narrowed, causing her heart to drop into her stomach for a moment. At one point, it was tight enough where her hips could just barely make it through without pulling with her hands. But as she went on, it began to widen again. 

Ahead of her, she could see a light, growing in size. An almost blinding white waited for her, just a few more moments away. She sighed, thinking, _a_ _lmost!_

Finally, she crossed the threshold from the dark tunnel to the shimmering sand and green leaves of the Natal Pool. Despite the fact that she had been a newborn, Telly swore she had a memory of this place. The memory felt dreamlike and blurry, with bright lights and loud sounds. It was exciting and alarming, and it was new. The memory stopped as Telly broke the surface of the Natal Pool. Shadows cast by the high-up palms danced, their silhouettes like birds in flight. A warm breeze caressed her face as she stared upward. 

Her focus was interrupted by a snapping twig. Instinctively, she darted underwater unseen. Then she remembered her task, and she resurfaced slowly. Not far from her stood the sailor, a slender woman with dark hair. She was looking the other way, scanning the trees. This was Telly's chance to have control of the situation.

"H-hello?" She called. The woman jumped and turned around, hands balled into fists. 

"Who are you?" The sailor asked. Telly could hear a shaking in the woman's voice.

"I... I live here. I don't recognize you." Telly had decided to play the dumb, welcoming local. She smiled warmly. 

"You live here? I haven't seen any people... I haven't seen anything on this island." Her eyes were shifting back and forth as she spoke.

Telly was becoming nervous. "Um, I mean... Yeah! There's a bunch of us. We live here, on the island! You really didn't see anyone?"

"No. I haven't seen a soul." 

"What's your name?!" Telly was trying to change the subject as fast as possible. 

"My name? Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're on my island, after all. I think I deserve to at least know your name. I'm Tel-" she stopped. 

"Tel?" The sailor raised an eyebrow.

Going back and forth in her mind, Telly debated telling this woman her real name. Quickly she decided to be honest. "Telly."

"Lexa," was all the sailor said.

"Oh, well I'm just... just here for a little swim." Telly focused most of her energy keeping her tail out of sight, even as the woman warily approached the pool. Fortunately, the pool went straight down, so all the young Siren had to do was stay close to the rocky side. 

"I see that. Where do you all live? I've scavenged across this entire island and haven't seen any remnants of housing," Lexa accused. She was back on the subject Telly had tried so desperately to avoid while simultaneously trying to think of something to say.

"We live... in the trees!" Telly almost blurted. 

"The trees?"

"Yeah... just up there in the trees. If you head... West! Head west and you'll see our trees at the very edge of the forest edge. Yep, just go west!" She was panicking. The last thing she had expected was this level of hostility. But upon reflecting, Telly couldn't blame the poor sailor. She had fallen asleep on her ship and awoken on an unknown beach. Telly imagined she would also be a little wary of a person swimming in a clear-blue pool at the center of a deserted island.

* * *

Lexa was nothing short of confused and alarmed. She had searched every square inch of this island and had seen nothing but sand and trees. Now here this little girl was, swimming as though it were nothing out of the ordinary. Was it possible Lexa had missed all signs of life here? It was hard to trust the girl with the dark red hair, but Lexa was equally wary to not trust her. 

 _West..._ she thought to herself. Quickly, she pulled her small compass out from her nightshirt. Early on in her years at sea, Lexa learned to always have her own compass; thus, she slept with hers. As expected it was potentially saving her life yet again. 

"You said west?" Lexa probed.

"Yep!" The girl's chipper voice was almost piercing, as Lexa felt her head still throbbing. "Just head toward the shore and you'll see exactly what you need to see."

 _What does that mean?_ Lexa was growing more and more concerned with the bizarre mix of vagueness and specificity that laced the girl's instructions. She muttered a quick thank you, checked her compass once more, and decided to head to the western side of the island. Sweat dripped from her brown, over her eyes and making her vision bleary. She wiped her forehead against her shoulder, dirtying the white fabric. Unseen insects plagued her short journey, and she found herself desperate to cross the line of trees before the beach. 

She scanned the trees as she walked, looking for the supposed homes of the people on this island. She was skeptical, sure, but nothing surprised her anymore. Yet the farther she walked, the more exhausted and disgusting she felt. It was like the sweat slicking her skin was a glue for sand and bugs, and she longed for nothing more than a bath. 

 _Or cold water._ She remembered her brief swim from that very morning. The water was colder than she had anticipated. Surely, after a day's worth of sun, it would be warmer, but anything would be a relief from the thick, sweltering air surrounding her. With each step her breathing became more labored, her steps more heavy. It was like her adrenaline had run out, and she was stretching every muscle to its limit. 

At last, the edge of the trees was in sight, pearlescent sand dancing behind. Without thinking, Lexa broke out into a run. Nearly hobbling, barely more than a jog, her feet hit hot sand, and she put all of her remaining energy into actually running until she struck the shore. Overtaken with relief, she felt her legs buckle beneath her, and she dropped like a stone. At that point, the water had been waist-deep; she drifted slowly to the seafloor, facing the sky. Since childhood, holding her breath had been a skill of Lexa's. It was a point of pride, really. 

While slightly warmer than before, the water was cool against her skin. She closed her eyes, at peace for the first time since she woke up. 

* * *

 

Clarke waited anxiously, repeatedly popping up to the surface and back down. She wasn't far from shore, but just far enough to be totally submerged. Her heart raced, hoping Telly had accomplished the task she'd basically forced upon her. There were so many ways this could go wrong. The rope hadn't been tugged, so Clarke assumed Telly was at the Natal Pool. Had the sailor reached her yet? Had Telly convinced her to head in this direction? Had Telly even remembered which direction to send her?

There were too many variables, too many ways this could backfire. But Clarke tried to keep up hope. She tried to rehearse how this first chat would go.

"Hello... No, too formal. Excuse me? No... that sounds weird. Hi, you're probably really confused... Well, maybe." There was no way that sounded genuine. It all sounded forced, calculated. Would the sailor trust her if she approached her in such a calculated way? But if she went in with no plan, things could go wrong quickly.

Suddenly a splash snapped her from her introspection. She looked and saw the woman, falling to the bottom. Her eyes were closed. This wasn't supposed to happen. Clarke was panicking, unsure what to do. Should she go save her? Did she need to be saved?

Seconds passed. It felt like an eternity. The sailor was flat on her back, unmoving. Clarke stared, her heart racing. She drifted closer and closer to the woman, hoping she'd sit up. Yet she remained on the sand.

"Oh no," Clarke whispered, swimming rapidly to the woman. She placed a hand on her shoulder. In an instant, the woman's eyes snapped open, and screamed bubbles filled the area. Backing up, Clarke nervously looked for the sailor. She was standing in water to her waist, turning for shore. This was Clarke's chance. She surfaced.

The sound of her breaking the surface caught the sailor's attention, and she whirled around, her long hair sending out an illustration of water droplets. The two of them silently locked eyes. To Clarke's alarm, the woman broke the stare, her eyes darting below the water at the Siren's blue-violet tail. Her eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped. 

"Don't panic!" Clarke shouted, unrehearsed. 

"You can speak?!" The dark-haired sailor was backing up toward shore, presumably to be free of the sea-dwelling creature before her.

"Yes, and I need you to relax! You're on this island because of me!"

"You brought me here?!" She stopped dead in her tracks, the surf grazing just above her knees. 

"I did, but it was to save you!" This was nowhere near how Clarke had planned for this conversation to go. She wanted to be calmer, explaining everything at her own pace. Instead, she was too shocked to have a filter; she was relegated to answering the questions. 

"What do you mean to save me?"

"I'm a Siren, in case you couldn't tell," Clarke began. The sailor rolled her eyes as though Clarke's statement was too obvious to even mention. "Don't roll your eyes at me! Like I was saying, Sirens kill sailors. Sirens destroy ships. Are you dead? Is your ship destroyed?"

"Well I-"

"No, you're not. Your ship is fine. Because of me. I'm doing my best to keep you safe, okay?" 

The sailor squinted. "Why? Why me?"

It was like Clarke had been struck by lightning. She stuttered, stunned. "I... Um... You, well, um."

Before her, the woman raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, exactly, okay? I saw you, and I wanted to save you." Clarke turned away, embarrassed. 

"When did you see me?"

"I saw your ship, so I went up close. I looked into one of the little windows and saw you. Something inside me made me stop and think about what my coven and I were going to do to you. Last night, I was supposed to..." She trailed off.

A brief silence began, filled only by the soft rush of crashing waves and the sizzle of foam as the water retreated. 

The woman was the first to speak. "Tell me. Tell me what you were supposed to do."

"I was supposed to hypnotize your crew and bring your ship closer to shore. Then more of my coven was going to join and we were going to bring your ship close enough to crash against our trap... You were all going to die last night."

The woman was almost relaxed at this point, the exact opposite of the turbulence Clarke felt within her. "So what did you do?"

Clarke realized at this point that there was no hiding anything. This sailor with the dark hair and piercing eyes knocked down every shred of discretion Clarke had left. "Well... I changed the song. I changed it and got you in the lifeboat."

"How did I get the lifeboat down myself?"

"You didn't. I also got one of your crew to help."

"And then you just... took me to the island? Why couldn't you just send the ship away and save us all?"

"I can't... I can't explain it. But my whole coven is mad at me for doing this... I promised them it would all be okay, but they're worried your ship will destroy us before we can destroy it."

"You're still going to destroy my ship?" The woman took another step back.

 


	10. Chapter 10

"I already told you: Sirens destroy ships. That's what we do. It's been a long time since a ship has come by... We're a little desperate." Clarke was defensive. Obviously, she hadn't planned on mentioning the impending destruction of the sailor's ship. It, like much of this conversation, happened to slip out because she was so nervous. 

"Why? Can't you find food elsewhere? You ought to be hungry if there haven't been many ships lately."

"Any ships. There have been no ships for a very long time. I told you. And it's not food; we have plenty of that."

"Then what is it? Why do Sirens destroy ships and kill sailors? I've always thought it was to eat." The sailor kept eyeing her, up and down. 

Clarke was almost more annoyed than anything. This woman kept asking questions without even acknowledging the kindness Clarke had extended her. "It's not that. We don't eat sailors... That's disgusting. We eat fish and other things, but not sailors. It's complicated."

"Why are you being so secretive about everything? You have to remember that  _you_ are the one who brought me here against my will. I'm pretty sure that entitles me to some information."

"You're not entitled to anything!" Clarke rose further out of the water, treading with her tail to reach eye level with the sailor. "I'll tell you what you need to know, but  _I'm_ the one who decides what that is. Got it?"

Silently, the woman turned and headed for the beach. In a quick swipe of her tail, Clarke knocked her off her feet, and she stumbled into the water. The sailor thrashed, punching and kicking with precision, rolling toward shore. The water was growing too shallow for Clarke to move effectively, but she powered forward. Her tail carved a shallow canyon in the sand as she pulled herself with her hands. The woman was crawling too as Clarke reached for her ankle, pulling her back. Instinctively, the sailor whirled around and trapped Clarke's head between her legs in a tight lock. 

Clarke began to panic, unable to breathe. It was ironic, as her head was underwater, but the tight hold around her neck pinched off the gill-like folds the Sirens used to get oxygen from the sea. In a last-ditch effort, she flailed her powerful tail, sending a strong wave and pulling them both deeper into the water. At this point, both of them were submerged, and both of them were suffocating. At last, Clarke felt the pressure release around her neck, and she pulled free. She looked and saw the sailor swimming to the surface but losing energy. They were deeper than she was tall, and Clarke could tell this woman was very fatigued. 

She swam to her, grabbed her around the waist, and hoisted her to the surface. Clarke heard the woman gasp, and then felt her go limp in her arms. Bobbing in the surf, Clarke clutched her rescue close to her. The sailor's head fell over Clarke's shoulder, as if all of the strength in her body had dissipated and she had become infantile, unable to hold up her own head. The only movement was heavy, labored breathing, as the figure in Clarke's arms seemed to expand and return to its original dimensions. The woman she'd spotted in the tiny porthole who radiated power and beauty was now all but dead, and she held her close to her chest. 

Something about this felt right, as though nothing and no one had ever fit in her arms like this before. Their chests were locked against one another as silent waves washed over them. Clarke took a moment to close her eyes and drink it all in. She opened them again and realized the sun was going to set soon, and since they were on the west side of the island, it was about to be a spectacular show. 

"Are you alright," she whispered. The only reply was a soft nod against her neck. "Okay." 

Slowly, she began to swim back toward the island. It took a lot of her to let go, but once they crossed the threshold of the sand, Clarke lay the woman down on her back. Her legs were still in the water, as Clarke could only go so far without becoming powerless herself. Retreating a few feet into the water, Clarke's eyes were fixed on the figure lying on the beach. Her stomach was rising and falling with her labored breaths. 

Pangs of guilt struck Clarke. None of this would have happened had she stayed away from the ship. But if she had, she'd never have seen this woman. She'd never have known this woman existed, until she inevitably saw her, cast aside from her wrecked ship. Sure, things would be easier, but things were different now; she couldn't go back, and she really didn't want to. This woman, this stranger, was in her life now, and she wanted nothing more than for that to stay true forever. While she couldn't explain it, she felt it deeply. 

It hurt even being this far from her. Without realizing it, Clarke inched forward. Her tail, again, dragged against the sand as she pulled herself onto the beach. The woman's eyes were closed, and Clarke sidled up to her. Though she couldn't breathe out of the water, she barely cared. Quickly, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before entering the water again. The woman's eyes fluttered before opening. At this point, Clarke was in a comfortable depth of water. 

* * *

 

Lexa felt something touch her cheek. Using every ounce of strength left in her, she opened her eyes, but there was nothing near her. She was back on the beach, barely sure how she'd gotten there again. She realized the sky was a rich shade of crimson and pink, orange and purple. Sunset, one of her favorite times of the entire day. Her whole life, she'd done her best to be up on deck facing west to watch the sunset each day. As if by instinct, Lexa felt herself sitting up to gaze at the painting being drawn upon the horizon. 

As she sat up, she saw the silhouette of something in the water. Someone. The Siren. The Siren who had tried to kill her but claimed to be saving her. Lexa was wary, but she was too exhausted to keep her guard up.

"What do you want?" She croaked. 

Almost shocked, the Siren replied, "just admiring the view."

"Yes... Sunset has always been the most beautiful part of my days." At that point, she realized the Siren wasn't facing the sunset.

The shifting hues calmed both of them down. A soft, warm breeze drifted through Lexa's drenched, sand-filled hair as she clutched her knees to her chest. 

"Well, I suppose since I'm trapped here, I at least deserve to know your name..." 

"Clarke. My official Siren name is Clarke the Golden.... Because of the-"

"The hair?" Lexa flashed a smile at the Siren. 

"Yeah, the hair. When I was born, they say my hair was like the sun."

"Well, Clarke the Golden, with hair like the sun, my name is Lexa. I'm actually the captain of that ship you're so keen on destroying."

"I knew it!" Clarke yelled. Lexa snapped her head to face her. 

"What?"

"Well, I mean... I figured. When I saw you in your ship, I could tell you were important. Just, something about you. You're so regal and powerful... Or, I mean... You looked so regal and powerful," Clarke babbled. 

Lexa raised an eyebrow as the corner of her mouth turned up in a slight smile. "I did, did I?"

The Siren took an exasperated breath and answered, "what I  _meant_ was, you had an aura about you."

"An aura?" The smile had crept all the way across her face into a full-on grin. "I had an aura about me..."

"Yes! And that's all I'm going to say about it. Just... watch the sunset! I put you on the beach so you could see it. It's breathtaking."

 _This is a weird conversation to be having with a stranger..._ Lexa reflected.  _But it feels... right?_ She was a little confused. Not long before this, the two of them had been in a near-deathmatch rolling in the waves. Now it was like... Lexa didn't want to admit what it was like. Not with a Siren.

Suddenly the sky began to flash a warning red. 

"What's happening?" Lexa called.

"This is what I wanted you to see!" The blonde Siren replied. "Just out there at the horizon, it gets really really stormy. So there are thick clouds and strong winds, and with a little bit of lightning right when he sun is setting, it does... this." She gestured above to the deepening crimson that was still flashing, almost more intensely.

"Why didn't I see this last night?" 

"Strangely, you can only see it from this side of the island. It doesn't happen every night, but we kind of know how to predict it." 

"That is strange." Lexa gazed onward at the darkening sky, the sun ready to dip below the edge of the sky. It was about to be nighttime, and she was wet and growing cold. 

* * *

 

Indra rifled through Lexa's plans. They were so nuanced, so detailed. Some of them did not look entirely like Lexa's script, as though she had gotten them from someone else. Some had small illustrations resembling maps. Lexa's note made sense now; some plans were strictly geared toward the  _Heda_ sailing to certain locations. One of the more intriguing was the Commander's plan to sail into the arctics. Apparently there was a cave with untold riches, undoubtedly frozen beyond access. But Lexa wanted to try. Would Indra have the courage to try, should Lexa never return?

The sun was setting as Indra sat in Lexa's quarters. She had always known this was a possibility, that Lexa would disappear and leave Indra to run things. Indra'd hoped it would never happen, or at least if Lexa disappeared that she would disappear with her. Each passing moment drove the fear deeper into her heart. More than anything, she held out hope that Lexa would return that night and the rescue mission wouldn't even need to be put into place.

A knock on the door interrupted her. She shuffled the plans all together and stacked them back where she had found them, before rushing to the door and opening it. Anya stood on the other side.

"Come in," Indra answered, putting more authority into her voice than she honestly possessed.

"You say that like it's your room," was Anya's reply. She eyed Indra suspiciously. "Why are you even in here still?"

"I was... just trying to get away from everyone... everything."

"And just leaving all of us? Indra, you're acting as captain, I get that, but you need to be... I don't know, captaining! Inspire us, give us hope, something. We need you right now, and you're hiding in Lexa's room." The anger in Anya's voice stung, but Indra stood firm. She wouldn't let anyone, not even the relative of her predecessor, talk to her that way.

"I think the most important of your points is that I am acting as captain. You wouldn't talk to Lexa this way, would you?" Although the two of them did not differ much in height, Indra tried her best to stand tall and imposing. 

"You're... you're right. I'm sorry, Indra, but I'm worried."

"We'll be alright, Anya."

"Not about us. I'm worried about Lexa. This isn't like her. She doesn't just disappear for an entire day without telling anyone. She doesn't sneak off at night."

"But maybe she did this time. Like I've said, we really need to give it until tomorrow. Lexa's strong. She'll be okay. We'll all be okay." She placed a hand on Anya's shoulder.

"You're right."

"So are you. I'll be up on deck in a few minutes. Gather everyone who's willing to listen."


	11. Chapter 11

Telly floated, her arms sprawled out and holding her head just above the water of the Natal Pool. After Lexa the sailor left, she'd decided to wait a bit. A bit turned into a while, and a while turned into a few hours. For much of the time, she laid her head on the rock, eyes closed, letting the shadows of the trees softly dance against her eyelids. Ringing chirps and birdsongs flooded her ears, bringing a smile to her face. She imagined herself as one, blessed with the ability to fly, but confined to land by necessity. She felt like them. Sure, she could swim to the deepest depths. She could simply because she could. But if she did that, where would she go? Her home, her family, all of it was at the island. If she swam far enough, maybe she'd find a new one. 

She snapped her eyes open. It was unlike her to think of leaving. No one left the island. More realistically, no one left the Coven. Calliope was dominant and firm, but she was a good leader. Things were fine, right? Telly thought of the rift between her sister and her Matron. Sure, Clarke's silly decisions had landed them in some trouble, but Calliope wouldn't leave it alone. They had both continued to talk about what happened.

Telly knew. She knew about  _what happened_. Clarke had never told her, but it was popular scuttlebutt around the Coven. Because of that, though, Telly only knew what happened from the perspective of someone else. She wanted to know what Clarke was thinking and feeling, what drove her to do what she did. The sky began to flash a deep red, and Telly's eyes drifted open again. It was late. She untied the long kelp rope from her tail and swam back through the tunnel, bidding the Natal Pool a farewell. 

The tunnel, now that it was verging on nighttime, was dark. A mild panic washed over Telly, but she did her best to hold her composure.  _I made it through just fine. I'm okay,_ she told herself. She gripped rocks, pulling herself through the night-dark tunnel. Each pull and swipe of her tail gave her confidence despite the growing fear in her chest. On her way to the inside of the island, her destination had been signaled by a bright light. This time, all was dark. Had it grown later? Was it the dead of night? For all she knew, she could be crawling on the seafloor, miles from the tunnel. 

In front of her, a faint light red was glowing. She remembered the sunset, and her fears were quelled. At last, she was near the exit of this seemingly endless tunnel. The water had become cold, and she longed for the warmth of the open ocean, heated by a day of warm sun. Still clawing at rocks, Telly pulled herself more forcefully toward the growing circle of red. 

At last, she was free of the tunnel. She stopped swimming, letting herself float in the red glow inking through the water. Suddenly she remembered.  _Clarke._

Telly darted to the surface and looked for her sister. She knew Clarke was waiting on the western side of the island, where the sun was setting, so she swam rapidly around its curve until she was blinded by the vibrant pink of the sun right on the horizon. Bobbing at the top of the water, she saw Clarke's head. Sitting on the shore was the woman, Lexa. They were talking calmly, but the sailor looked incredibly exhausted. In fact, Telly realized then how tired she was. 

She weighed her options: should she go to them, or should she go to bed? Both sounded nice, one being more fun than the other. But she didn't want to interrupt her sister's conversation, especially since it was such an important one. 

 _But maybe... I could listen in._ Telly swam along the seafloor until she was close to Clarke, close enough to hear what she was saying. She couldn't hear the sailor, but she tried. The two of them seemed to be having a casual conversation. 

 

* * *

 

"Now, I know you're a Siren, but are you cold? I'm cold..."

"I hadn't thought about that. I'm sorry! Oh, my gosh. Um, well," Clarke stammered. She really hadn't thought much of the temperature on the island. She'd never had to. There seemed to be an assumption that the island was always warm, but probably not when you're soaking wet. 

Lexa eyed her, though it was almost too dark to see the blonde head floating. "Well?" She laughed.

"I mean, I can't rightly offer you some of my dry clothes. What if you make a fire?"

"You know about fire?"

"I'm a Siren, but I've seen things. We're pretty smart, you know."

"I've gathered. But nonetheless, I'm very cold. And you put me in this situation, after all," Lexa teased. 

"Enough! Trust me, I know!"

"I'm just kidding... Well, not about the cold part."

"Well, make a fire, then! I can't do that for you," Clarke teased back, still with a slight hint of defensiveness. 

"I'd need something to make a spark. Like flint and steel, or something like that."

"Okay, now you've lost me. Flint?"

"It's... a type of rock. If you strike steel against it, or vice versa, really, it'll make a spark. You can't start a fire without a spark of some sort. And dry wood."

"From what I've seen, you're the one who's an expert on the woods here," retorted the Siren. A memory struck her, from her schooling years. She knew something about fire. "Wait!"

"What?" The woman was startled. 

"You know how I used the song to get you here?"

Lexa gestured at the sand around her, saying, "sure do."

"Our songs are quite powerful, linked to some ancient old-world magic. We can conjure just about anything as long as we have the right words."

"Your song has words?"

"Not any that you'd recognize, but yes. They're from a language older than time itself. Really ancient," Clarke explained. 

"Do you have the words to make me a fire?" Lexa was growing desperate. As the sun was gone from the horizon to the darkness below, the air had grown colder. She was shivering, her skin covered in goosebumps. She had been this cold only a few times in her life, thankfully. The first was when she fell asleep on the deck of her grandfather's ship in the dead of winter. The other she tried not to think of.

"I do, but I have to think for a minute to remember. If I do it wrong, things could end poorly."

"How poorly?"

"Um... In this language, the words for fire and disembowelment are quite similar."

Lexa stared in the general direction of the Siren, as she could no longer see. The storms on the horizon flashed faded lightning in the distance, as bright stars appeared overhead. 

"So," Clarke went on, "I'll need a few moments to think. Will you be okay?"

Lexa was almost thrown by the sincerity of Clarke's last question. "Yeah, I'll be alright. Thank you."

 _That's the first thanks I've gotten_ , Clarke reflected. "You're welcome." 

Focusing on staying as warm as possible, Lexa hugged her knees even tighter to her chest.  _Not shivering is a sign of hypothermia_ , a voice within her stated matter-of-factly. She embraced the shivers, fighting back memories. Memories of her teen years, when her father was very sick. When her family had no money. When their home was not enough to keep out the winds of the harsh Northern winter.

"Are you ready?" The Siren's voice snapped her from the chilling memory. She felt her heart racing, brought on by that memory alone. 

"Are you?" Lexa answered. 

"I think so. Just... don't get too uncomfortable. Humans aren't used to hearing the song. You're usually... not conscious when we sing."

"Okay?"

"I'm just... warning you. First, you'll need to gather some wood, if you can. I know you're tired, and I blame myself entirely."

Lexa wobbly stood up, her knees shaking as they began to support her weight. "I'll try. Don't blame yourself, okay?"

"O-okay." Clarke watched as the shadowy figure on the beach slowly retreated into the woods.  _What if she collapses there? She should stay on the beach. She's so tired._

Lexa hobbled slowly toward the trees. It was dark, but she was desperate for warmth. Desperate to shake the horrible memories from her mind, she searched, trying to remember where she'd dumped her stash. After a few brief moments, she had gathered some dry sticks and a few logs originally intended to be her raft. 

"What do I do with them?" She asked, now totally unable to see the Siren, save for the dim moonlight reflecting off the small cascades of water. 

"I guess, just pile them up? Whatever way will help the fire burn best." Lexa obliged and quickly plummeted onto her bottom, having spent the final reserves of her energy. 

"Alright, now remember, this might be weird for you," Clarke announced. Internally, she was still terrified to say something wrong. But she began singing anyway, hoping to ease this poor sailor's troubles. Deeper within herself, she was panicking. She hadn't thought this far ahead. 

Lexa squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her knees up to shield her face. The  _song_ seemed to go beyond hearing. She felt it. The words were indistinguishable, but she felt their power. There was no melody, but Lexa was almost brought to tears by the beauty and haunting tones drifting, floating, seeping into every pore. Her eyes still shut, she felt a searing heat. With a mild hesitation, she opened an eye and peeked above her knees. Before her was a bonfire, crackling and roaring in steamy whispers. She smiled, and she called out, "thank you, Clarke the Golden, with hair like the sun."

 _That's two thank yous..._ Clarke grinned to herself. "You're welcome, Captain Lexa."

"Actually," Lexa answered, "my crew calls me Commander."

"Commander? That seems... that seems like a lot." She laughed, almost uncomfortable. What met her was a stern silence, covered in flickering firelight. "I mean... That just feels like a HUGE word. 'Captain' wouldn't do?"

"I never asked to be called Commander. It just stuck."

"Well, Commander Lexa, you're welcome. I hope the fire lasts long enough to warm you up. I suppose I can't make you go get more wood to keep it going."

"I'm already feeling better. If I need to, I can grab some more." She turned her face toward the calm waves, in the general direction of the Siren, and she smiled.

As suddenly as adrenaline had filled her entire body multiple times that day, sleep overtook Lexa as though it were the first time she had slept in weeks. The warm fire dried her clothes as she dozed off, the slow breeze dislodging sand from her hair. 

* * *

 

"Faithful crew," Indra began. Before her, the entire crew of the  _Heda_ was huddled around her as she stood atop a crate. "I want to address all of your fears, your concerns. As Lexa is not currently with us, it is my responsibility to lead, not to hide away, as I have been reminded. I will be here for any and all of you. If there are any questions, bring them to my attention now, and I shall do my best to answer them to your liking."

"I've got a question," a voice piped up. It was Erris, the same sailor who had questioned Lexa's authority just days prior. "Why can't we just... go? Is she even coming back?"

Eyes, many angry and accusatory, turned and faced the petite woman with the short dark hair. Whispers echoed, rolling like waves. 

"Fine. Let's address that, shall we?" Indra's weighty voice was the response that ended the whispers. "Why can't we just 'go,' as Erris here has put so plainly? Alright, show of hands. No consequences, no judgment. Who here would feel comfortable leaving, with our captain and Commander no further than that very island." She pointed, eyes locked with Erris, toward the island. Indra was backed by the reddening sky, her powerful frame an imposing shadow. 

Not backing down, Erris raised her hand high. One or two others raised theirs, with much less conviction. 

"Exactly," was Indra's only answer. "Any other questions or concerns?"

Until the sun set, Indra remained powerful perched, answering questions. There were not many, but some required longer, more detailed answers. The most perplexing question came from a soft-spoken crewman who usually minded his own business. He asked what their options would be, should Lexa not return. He made it clear that he, personally, was committed to the _Heda,_ but he also acknowledged that many of the crew had signed on with the understanding that they would be serving Commander Lexa. Indra, while stern and powerful herself, had nowhere near the reputation Lexa did. Indra found herself, even, wondering, did she have what it took to be a captain of a successful ship?

Once the sun was down, and the sky was dark, Indra was done answering questions. Most of the crew had descended to their bunks, leaving only the Faithful Few.

Lincoln was the first to speak. "Are we ready for this tomorrow?"

"What do you mean  _'we,'_ Linc? Perrim and I are the ones doomed to explore the island if the Commander doesn't return. The question is this: are we ready for the worst?" Gustus was right. Although he had essentially volunteered for the position with his gung-ho spirit, it was obvious he was worried. 

"I don't want to thin about the worst," was Anya's timid addition to the conversation. "I'm worried about her."

"I know. I think we all are. We're just... masking that fear and calling it everything else than what it is," Indra uttered after a moment of silence. 

"I'll say," said Gustus. "I couldn't care less about exploring that island tomorrow. I'm just worried what will happen if we don't find her there."

Indra turned to face him. Gustus was never one to express his feelings, and that was especially true about fear. Fear had always seemed  to be an emotion felt by everyone  _but_ Gustus, and yet here they were. 

* * *

 

Telly waited, and things got dark. Clarke eventually stopped talking, but she stayed in the same place. 

"Clarke," Telly whispered. It was no use: her sister's head was above the water. She resolved to swim to the surface, as it was nighttime. As she broke the surface, she noticed a fire.

 _That explains the singing..._  

"Clarke!" She whisper-yelled. 

Clarke whirled around in a panic. Her eyes strained in the dark to see who had approached her so suddenly. "Oh, it's just you."

"It's late. What's happening? I... I tried to listen, but it was boring."

"She's asleep. She's exhausted, and I can't blame her."

"Well, did you come to an agreement, or something?"

Clarke thought for a moment. "In some ways."


	12. Chapter 12

It was the middle of the night when Calliope came to find Clarke. Having just gone to bed merely an hour before, Clarke was a mixture of confused, groggy, scared, and annoyed at the interruption of her sleep after such a tiring day. 

"Clarke," she had whispered just inches from her ear. "Come with me."

Clarke followed, her heart racing from being awoken and from fear of whatever could be said by her Matron. In the moonlight, it was hard to read Calliope's expression, so Clarke went with her with a nervous anticipation. 

"Clarke," began Calliope once they had made it to her cave, "I had hoped you'd give me an update, and you did not. Tell me, how did your little experiment go?"

Struggling not to roll her eyes, Clarke answered, "It was definitely interesting. She was... rather hesitant to trust me at first."

"Understandably. We're not meant to deal with sailors when they're conscious, Clarke. If not for our humanlike qualities, we'd be seen as a wild animal."

"I can understand why," Clarke said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just that she's warming up." She had intended to squash all fears and inspire hope.

"Well, be careful not to give her too much time to warm up, or else she could boil us all. We don't have much time. I'm surprised her crew hasn't come looking for her. They've just stayed in that one spot." Calliope was pacing back and forth against the mouth of her cave with Clarke on the interior, effectively blocking any chance of an exit. "Have you discussed any of your magical little theories about how we're all to be saved, or live in harmony?"

"I never said any of that. All I said is that maybe she could help us figure out why no more boats come by." Clarke puffed out her chest in defiance. She was not going to back down from her Matron. At that moment, Clarke realized she had all the power, and that's why Calliope was so scared. It was up to Clarke to negotiate with this sailor, or else the entire Coven could be destroyed. It was up to Clarke, and if Clarke failed, there would be no consequences from Calliope. The Matron couldn't threaten anything in case everything went poorly, because things going poorly entailed the destruction of all of them. Clarke, weighed down by her fears and doubts, had the final word, whatever it might end up being. 

"And? Did you find out? Or was this whole day just a little game for you? Clarke, we could all die because of you."

"And we could all live because of me, too. Which option sounds better? Because to me, it sounds like you want me to fail."

Calliope's jaw dropped. Inside, Clarke was terrified and regretful; she'd never spoken to her Matron like that. She'd never spoken to anyone like that. The two of them remained silent for a moment.

Calliope was the first to speak, in a hushed, harsh whisper. "Clarke the Golden, do not forget this: I am your Matron. You will not speak to me like that."

"If we don't figure out why there aren't any ships, you won't be alive much longer," Clarke began. Calliope's jaw fell again, and the smaller, blonde Siren in front of her continued, "don't act like I don't know. You're old, Calliope. You've been the Matron for well over a hundred years! Sirens can't stay immortal without the ritual, and if there are no ships, there's no ritual."

"There's a ship right there!" The silver-haired Siren shouted. "There is a ship right there. The first in a very long time. Full of sailors. The ritual was supposed to go off without a hitch, and if you hadn't interrupted it with your silly fantasies and selfish ways, we'd all be feeling just a little bit more alive right now. You're so insistent on the fact that I'm dying? Well, Clarke, if I do, it's because of you."

"Ca-... Matron Calliope, I'm..." Clarke was speechless. Sure, she had wanted what's best for the Coven, but her original thought wasn't that. Originally, she had seen a beautiful woman whom she didn't want to kill. It wasn't until she had been forced to justify it that she'd come up with the idea to ask why there were no more ships. Calliope was right: this was a very selfish endeavor. But Clarke knew in her heart she was doing the right thing. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Please, give me a chance to fix this. The sailor, she-"

"Enough. Like I have said, it  _is_ up to you. We  _are_ running out of time, and I  _am_ giving you a chance. Please," Calliope said, almost defeatedly, "save us from this mess. Good night, Clarke the Golden."

"Good night, Matron Calliope," answered Clarke. Calliope moved aside, allowing Clarke access to the mouth of the cave, and she swam through it, embarrassed of, angry with, and disappointed in herself. 

-

On her swim back to the kelp forest, Clarke went to check on Lexa. She surfaced to see the fire still going, but needing to be fed and stoked soon. She worried the poor sailor would grow cold if the fire went out completely, but she did not dare wake her. She could try the song again, but without wood to keep the fire burning, all she could do was conjure fire, floating in the air for a few moments. Could she keep it up until daybreak? Not likely. 

Another option crossed her mind, but it scared her more than anything.  _I could go on the island and get some wood. That way she wouldn't have to wake up yet. But what if..._ She didn't want to think about what would happen if she couldn't get back in the water in time. She imagined herself, drying out and suffocating next to the woman she was trying to help. Shaking the thought from her mind, she decided to go for it. Her impulsive choices had gotten her this far, after all.

Taking a deep breath, letting the water rush over her gill-folds, she surfaced again and headed for the shore. Dragging herself by her arms, she felt the sand swish between her fingers as her tail carved another channel behind her. Slowly, she crawled by the sleeping Lexa, desperate to find wood. There were a few small twigs near the fire, which she softly tossed in. She hauled herself toward the treeline, looking for anything to put in the fire. She knew the sailor had spent time looking for wood, so there was likely a stockpile somewhere. But where?

It was dark, and Clarke's arms were already growing tired. She almost laughed at the irony: her tail was powerful and strong, muscular. But on land, it was useless. Her eyes strained against the blackness of the night, but she searched anyway. Her heart was pounding in her throat, which reminded her how much she needed to breathe. More irony: her humanlike torso couldn't breathe on land, and if she did not get back in the water, she would essentially drown.

At last, several feet inside the trees, she spotted several logs and sticks. It was then that she felt her insides screaming to be nourished with oxygen. She glanced back toward the beach to gauge how far she had to go. She could easily and quickly haul herself back to the sea and breathe quickly and go back. Then she noticed the fire, a puny, orange flame. The wind was blowing, and the fire flickered and fizzled. It was sure to go out at any second, and then Clarke would have to try the song all over again, which could wake up Lexa. Every second spent thinking was another wasted. 

She bolted--as well as she could on her hands--for the pile of wood. Stones and thorns cut her hands as she crawled, scratching the scales of her tail. Finally, she had some wood in her grasp. 

_Oh no... How am I supposed to carry it over there?_ She was truly panicking now. If she didn't breathe soon, she'd surely fall unconscious and quickly die. But if she didn't get the wood to the fire, it would go out, leaving the poor, cold sailor sprawled on the beach without any heat. Frantically,  she tucked some sticks under her arms. While this limited the speed with which she could crawl, she was making progress. Bright spots began to cloud her vision, and she lost the tiny flame within them.

But Clarke crawled on. She was gasping through her mouth, wishing she had legs. If she had legs, she'd have lungs like a human, too, and she'd be breathing just fine. It seemed as though the burning pain that grew inside of her could have kept the fire ablaze for hours. She wanted to scream, but there was nothing within her to do so, so she desperately kept crawling. The bright spots were now dark spots, and she squinted through them to find Lexa. 

At last, she was upon the Commander and the measly candle flame that was the fire. She dropped the sticks on the ground and fumbled to grab some and put them on what was left of the burning flame. A stick caught fire as her vision went dark and she collapsed on the sand, inches from the shivering Lexa. 

* * *

 

 

Something woke Lexa up. It was dark, but the fire was still alive. She stretched, still sore and exhausted, and smiled to herself. At that point, she remembered the sticks and logs required to keep herself warm. Slowly sitting up, she then noticed the sprawled-out figure next to her. It was the Siren, Clarke. At first, Lexa thought she may still be dreaming.

"Hey," she whispered. "Is this real?"

There was no answer. Suddenly Lexa remembered the obvious fact that Sirens needed to be in the water. Yet here was Clarke on the beach. Lexa reached out to grab her shoulder and rolled Clarke onto her back. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and she wasn't responding to any of Lexa's poking or prodding. 

"Oh no," Lexa breathed. They were only a few feet from the water, so Lexa took action. She stood up and grabbed Clarke from behind and looped her arms under Clarke's. Pulling her up by her arms, Lexa's hands locked on Clarke's shoulders. While there was not much strength left within her, Lexa dragged the unconscious Siren into the water. She fell backward, and both of them landed in the shallows. 

Lexa crawled on her knees to grab Clarke, who was floating away from her. She didn't know much about how Sirens breathed, so she tried to completely submerge Clarke. Every time she let go, though, the blonde Siren would float to the top, face down, still motionless.

"Come on, please," Lexa cried out in desperation. She kept dunking Clarke under and holding her there for a few moments, but each time she released her, it yielded the same results. Frantic, she even tried shaking her. Next, she tried pulling her deeper into the water. At this point, Lexa felt the bone-chilling cold that reminded her of her youth, and she shook the thought away.

_Not now. This is important._ In that moment, she tried to think. Why was she trying so desperately to save this Siren? This Siren had plucked her from the ship just a night before, stranding her on a deserted island. The two of them had nearly killed each other once. Then Lexa remembered the fire. Clarke had made her a fire to keep her warm. She owed her for that kindness, at least. 

Unwilling to give up, she returned to shore, pulling Clarke with her. As much as she wanted to save the Siren, she recognized that her freezing to death in the ocean would do neither of them any good. So she dug a hole in the water, close to the fire, right where the small waves were breaking. She laid her down in the hole, her head toward the island with her closed eyes facing the sky. The small waves were consistently rolling over her, so Lexa was certain that if anything could save her, this could be it; she was clearly underwater. 

She took a moment to gather more wood for the fire, finding her stockpile. When she came upon it, it seemed smaller than she remembered, and some wood was scattered around in the darkness around her feet. It was as though someone or something had taken some. Quickly, she returned to the fire, added some sticks and a log, and returned to Clarke. She sighed in relief to see that the Siren had not drifted away in the soft currents. 

_She'll need an anchor. Something to keep her right here._ The thought of tying something to Clarke felt wrong. She had been thoughtful, though, in digging the hole very close to the fire. In fact, she could feel its warmth exactly where she stood on the sand. She dropped to her knees and reached into the water, carefully grabbing Clarke's hand.  _I'll be her anchor._

She squeezed it, hoping for a response. There was none, and her heart sank.  _Give it until morning. She's exhausted, too,_ she reminded herself. It was entirely possible that Sirens slept like this.  _Except she was on the beach. Who knows how long she'd been there?_

The heat of the fire was warming her skin, but she still felt cold. There was some warmth to the hand in hers, though. Lexa tore off part of her sleeve into a strip, and she tied it around each of their wrists. "Just to be sure," she said aloud. She still grabbed tightly onto Clarke's hand and lay herself down on the sand. Another powerful wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she felt consciousness drift away, carried by the sea off to the farthest reaches of the globe. 

It would have been quite the picture, Lexa lying on the sand, Clarke in the water, their hands intertwined, both unconscious. It was as though their hands were crossing the border between their two worlds, uniting them. 

Lexa dreamed of water. Not in the way she had as a child. Back then, she dreamed of herself on a ship, sailing across the world. On this night, she dreamed about  swimming. 


	13. Chapter 13

 

Indra awoke at the crack of dawn. Anxiety over the following day plagued her sleep to the point where she was rarely asleep for longer than a few minutes before terror-filled nightmares shook her awake. In total, she guessed that she had gotten maybe two hours of sleep, despite lying in her bed for six. She was worried about the rescue mission. Deep down, she was worried that Lexa did not want to be rescued. Deeper than that, Indra worried Lexa couldn't be rescued because she was dead. Trying to shake that thought from her mind, Indra rose and made her way to Lexa's quarters.

"Maybe," she whispered upon closing the door behind her, "I can find something. If Lexa left on purpose, I can find out why."

If Lexa did not want to be rescued, that would be okay eventually. In her mind, Indra ranked the options. The top option was that Lexa needed rescuing and could easily be rescued. The middle-ground option was that she did not want to be rescued but easily could be. Lexa's death was the third, unspeakable option. She continued to rifle through Lexa's plans and other documents. Scouring for a clue, for something, she searched for the better part of a half-hour. But nothing came up. There was not a single piece of evidence that Lexa had planned to leave the ship. She especially hadn't planned on doing so without telling anyone. 

Disheartened and all the more worried, she made her way to the deck of the ship, deciding to continue to look once more before the rescue mission embarked. Staring at the island in the pink sky of the sunrise, Indra resolved that she would not leave this place until she was confident to do so. She would not be confident to leave until she knew exactly what Lexa wanted. Chills ran down her spine as she heard something in the direction of the island. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before. It was a haunting sound, but it was beautiful, too faint in the distance for her to know exactly what it was. After a moment, it stopped, and Indra returned to her introspection.

 _Coward. If Lexa can't come back, or won't come back, that's up to her. You are First Mate. You're captain right now. Act like it._ Doubtful thoughts plagued Indra's mind as she pushed herself through the day.  _You're stuck as captain and you'll never be Lexa. You're never going to be as good as she is. The crew doesn't respect you. You_ _don't even respect yourself._

A deep voice came from behind her, startling herself out of her spiral of self-doubt. It was Lincoln. "Couldn't sleep much, eh?"

"Not a wink. I'm scared."

"Me, too," Lincoln replied. "But we've got each other, no matter what. Don't forget that, Indra." 

"I needed to hear that," Indra replied. "Lincoln, what if things go wrong? I'm not ready to be captain... I'll never be Lexa."

"You're captain. Right now. And you're doing a wonderful job. Indra, you don't need to be Lexa. No one could ever be Lexa. Hell, I don't even get how Lexa is able to be Lexa. All you have to be is Indra."

Indra lifted her eyes to see a slight smile on Lincoln's face. "I just don't want to disappoint everyone."

"Do you think the Commander worries about such trivial matters as the opinions of others?"

"You and I both know she doesn't. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in this mess at all," she laughed. 

"Exactly. She makes decisions, and we go with them because she is our captain. The same is true on nearly every ship from every corner of the planet. On the  _Heda_ , we respect our captain, whoever she is. And right now, you're her. If Lexa doesn't come back, we will press on, following the orders of our captain."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I've never seen you like this, Indra. Where's the strong and silent Indra I've come to know?"

"She's still in here, I hope. Part of me thinks I was only able to be like that because I had someone stronger above me." Her eyes darted back and forth as she thought, in expansive spiderwebs, about everything that could go wrong. Everything that would have gone wrong had Lexa not been there. Could she really make those key decisions? 

"Nonsense. There's a reason you're her first mate. Her own flesh and blood isn't. I'm not. Gustus isn't. You are, Indra. I don't need to tell you this for it to be true."

The last line stuck with Indra as the day went on. Lincoln was right, in a way. All of those kind words he had said were not a gift bestowed upon her. He was simply speaking his truth, the truth. She tried to believe it, to internalize it. To shove away the spiraling, strengthening maelstrom of doubt growing inside of her. 

More and more of the crew awoke, and slowly everyone made their way to the deck. A chorus of whispers rose above the quiet waves crashing against the hull, full of panic and worry. Gustus and Perrim were preparing everything. They were going to take a lifeboat, with supplies of food and water in case Lexa needed it, with weapons in case  _they_ needed it. It wasn't intended to be a long trip. They were to go to the island, look for, and subsequently find Lexa, and then they were to return. If all went according to plan, Lexa would be back on the ship within a few hours, and they could make their way from this horrible spot. 

As the sun rose in the sky, tension was reaching a climax. It seemed like everyone understood one thing: after Gustus and Perrim leave, things can't go back. The two of them looking for Lexa was the ultimate acknowledgement that Lexa needed to be looked for. It was them, as a crew, recognizing that their captain might not come back. That something on that island might be the very thing they were supposed to  _BEWARE._

* * *

 

"Clarke, you should go check on the sailor!" Telly called from her area in the kelp forest. She had just woken up after several nice dreams. There was some sunlight filtering down, through the kelp. It could not have been much past dawn, but she felt very rested. 

There was no response.

"Clarke!" She yelled. Still, there was no answer. Telly swam over to Clarke's area, but she was nowhere to be found.

 _Oh! She's probably already there to check on her._ Quickly, she resolved to go find her sister and the sailor, so she swam up to the surface and tried to find them. She happily backstroked around the island, staring at the engorged white cumulus clouds above her, which contrasted beautifully against the lightening sapphire of the blue sky. She smiled and softly sang to herself, occasionally gazing at the beach. She knew it was a short swim to where Clarke and the sailor would likely be, so she took her time. The water was mildly choppy, but closer to shore it was a bit more calm, with small waves cresting just inches from shore. 

As she made her way around a pseudo-peninsula on one edge of the island, she saw exactly who she was looking for. Both Clarke and Lexa the sailor were lying down, and neither of them were moving. They were holding hands, which Telly thought was a bit strange for two living creatures so different from one another. As Telly approached, she noticed that Clarke's eyes were closed. 

"Is she sleeping?" Telly whispered to herself. She decided to yell to wake them both up. "Hey! Clarke!"

Only the sailor stirred. Lexa, who was lying almost face-down in the sand, was still holding onto Clarke's hand as she picked up her head and confusedly looked around. 

"Hey," Telly called. She was as close to shore as she could be without feeling uncomfortable about the lack of water. "Clarke, wake up!"

At that point, Lexa noticed Telly. A look of confusion washed over her face. 

The sailor spoke. "Wait. You're the girl from the middle of the island... Right?"

"Yeah, Lexa, it's me. Telly."

"Telly, yes. I remember," Lexa answered, still firmly holding onto Clarke's hand. Then Telly saw the fabric tying the two of them together. 

"Well, that's my sister. Why won't she wake up?"

"Your... sister?"

"Yeah, my sister." Telly dunked her head under, flipping her tail to the surface to show Lexa.

"Ah."

"So, what's going on? Clarke, what are you doing?!"

"Telly! Maybe you can help," Lexa began.

"Help?" 

"Last night, I woke up and found her on the beach here. I'm not sure what happened, but she didn't look good. I tried to take her back into the water so she could breathe, but nothing happened. I hoped she'd be okay, but I don't know what to do. I tied us together so she wouldn't float away. I... I really tried."

"What did you do to her?!" Telly yelled out, enraged.

"I didn't do anything! I told you everything that happened."

Telly rapidly swam to the shoreline, dragging her tail in the sand below. As she reached Clarke, she grabbed her and shook her. She pulled her up so they were face to face, and she shouted, "Clarke the Golden, you wake up right now! Or... or... I'll..." 

There was no response, and Telly felt fear and sadness crash through her being. 

"Why was she even on the beach?! What did you make her do?"

"Look, little girl, I've done nothing wrong here. Up until this moment, all I have done is get  _brought_ to this island, been nearly drowned by a Siren, and then I tried to  _save_ said Siren after I found her beached here. You will not talk to me like I'm the bad guy, Siren. I won't have any of that."

Telly recoiled from the stern voice and harsh words. It reminded her of the command that Calliope had over the coven. "I'm..."

"Now, Clarke had made this fire for me because I was shivering last night."

"How? How would she make a fire from the water?! That doesn't make sense. Tell me what you did to her!" Telly felt the hostility growing in her chest. As far as she knew, this sailor had done something to her sister, and now her sister might be dead. 

"She sang," was all Lexa said in response. A lightbulb went off in Telly's mind.

"Oh!" She yelled, causing Lexa to jump a little. "The song! The song!"

"Yes, the song." Lexa eyed her cautiously.

"Well our song can do just about anything. It can even..." Telly trailed off.

"Well?" Lexa pressed.

"Revive someone from the dead... But I don't know if I know how to do that. I'm still learning."

"Well, can you try?"

"Is she dead?"

"Well, I don't know about that, but I found her on the beach last night. I don't know how long she had been there. I did everything I could to get her back into the water, but nothing happened."

"We can't be out of the water for too long. That's so foolish, Clarke!" She yelled at her sister's limp body in her arms. "Um, I really don't know the right words for that yet!"

"Is there anyone else who might?"

"Well, sure, but everyone's kind of mad at Clarke right now for bringing you here..."

"What do you mean?" Lexa looked at Telly incredulously.

"It doesn't matter. Hold on!" Telly dove down and began to search for someone. Anyone. In her mind, she knew that someone like Calliope might be a bad choice. Who could she trust not to tell Calliope? Or at least not to mess things up further. 

Suddenly, she saw several members of the coven. Six beautiful Sirens were out for their morning swim. Then Telly spotted a specific Siren: Zinnia.

"Zinnia!" She practically screamed. "Come with me!"

The other Sirens looked on, but Zinnia agreed without words. The two of them went off in a haste, making their way back to Clarke.

* * *

 

Lexa sat, powerless, crosslegged on the sand. She still firmly held onto the cold hand of the lifeless Siren before her. The small auburn-haired girl she had seen the day before was, apparently, the sister of her captor. It all started to make sense. The girl had told her that people lived on the island in trees. Clearly, that was an attempt to get Lexa to the shore.

Now, Lexa stayed put. With bated breath, she waited. What was only a few minutes felt like hours. She was as powerless as ever, still on the beach of the unknown island. The sun's position in the sky showed it was not much past dawn, and midday was still hours away. 

At last, two heads broke the surface. Lexa saw Telly, accompanied by a beautiful Siren with dark skin and hair. The two of them made eye contact, and Lexa saw the Siren tense up in panic.

"No," Telly said. "It's not her fault. We're here to save her." She was pointing at Clarke. "I don't know the words to the song to bring her back... But I don't know how much longer that would be effective."

For being a young child, Lexa was impressed at Telly's calmness during such a stressful event. It was clear how much she cared for her sister, and thus, how much her sister cared about her. 

The other Siren spoke in a smooth, pure voice. "How long has she been like this?" She asked, looking at Telly.

Lexa decided to speak up, ideally to ease the tension, and partly because only Lexa knew exactly what had happened.. at least, better than Telly probably would. 

"Since late last night. I awoke to find her on the beach, so I tried to get her in the water, but I don't think it helped."

The unknown Siren eyed her, but she nodded, saying, "okay. We can try the song in case."

"Thank you!" Telly cried. Tears were welling in her eyes as the two of them swam closer to Clarke's body.

"Should I untie her?" Lexa asked. Both Sirens shook their heads. "Can I ask your name?"

The other Siren answered her quietly. "My name is Zinnia."

"Zinnia, thank you for this."

"I'm doing it for Clarke and Telly, obviously," she answered. There was fear in her voice, not hostility. It was very obvious that there was a lot of confusion and apprehension between Sirens and humans. With every passing second, Lexa was learning more and more about the ways of the Sirens, and she hoped that the same was true on their end.

Zinnia whispered in Telly's ear, and then the two of them began to sing. Lexa closed her eyes as she felt the song wash over her. She was drowning in the words, overcome by the melodies, the haunting tones drifting from ear to ear.

Suddenly, the hand in hers twitched a bit, then squeezed. Lexa squeezed back, not wanting to interrupt the song with her own voice. She saw Clarke's eyes begin to flutter as the small waves rolled over her body. The morning sun was warm on Lexa's skin, in contrast to Clarke's cold hand in hers. The blonde Siren began to move a little as she slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the brightness.

Lexa couldn't control it anymore. She shouted, "I think she's okay!" The song stopped, and Telly and Zinnia crawled even closer. The three of them stared at Clarke intently as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"What's... going on?" She asked in a soft voice. 

"You died!" Telly blurted. Lexa and Zinnia both shot her a glance. "But you're okay now!"

"I died? What do you mean?"

"I found you on the beach last night," Lexa answered, still holding firmly onto her hand. 

Clarke gasped. "You're right. I was trying to..."

"To what?" Telly asked loudly.

"To get wood for the fire to keep it going. I didn't want Lexa to get cold," Clarke said, sitting up. Lexa stood up and untied their wrists from one another. She gestured at Clarke for her to go further into the water.

"And?" Telly went on as Clarke swam out deeper. Lexa followed them, as it was warm enough for her to dry in the sun. 

"And I guess I didn't do too well."

"Well, I woke up to a perfectly good fire, so I think you did." Lexa smiled. "But why couldn't you have just woken me up and told me to get more wood?"

"I just wanted you to be able to sleep! I felt so bad about bringing you here and making everything so tiresome for you, so I hoped to silently make the fire a little more fiery before I went back to bed..."

"That's stupid!" Telly shrieked. "Clarke, you died! Trying to keep a sailor  _warm?_ What were you thinking?"

Clarke eyed her, and she said, "I'll admit it was foolish, but at the time, it felt like the right thing to do."


	14. Chapter 14

(author's note: sorry it's been so long lol. my trackpad on my laptop stopped working and i broke my keyboard trying to fix it. it's all good now tho)

* * *

 

 

Though he wouldn't admit it, Gustus was terrified. He had done his best to maintain his image of a tough, burly sailor as long as he had been on the ship. He was 25 when he had joined Lexa's crew, and this family was the most stable he'd had. Sure, Lexa was younger than him, but he felt nothing but respect for her. Respect and protectiveness. It was like Lexa was his younger sister and he would do anything for her because he loved her. In many ways, he was a protector of her, but he knew that she had saved him countless times. Simply by allowing him to join her crew, she had saved him from the life he'd been living. A 16-year-old girl who had just inherited her grandfather's ship saved Gustus, and 6 years later, he vowed never to leave her. To give her a fraction of what she had given him.

So yes, he was terrified. But more than anything, he wanted to be the one to find her and help her if needed. That was enough to guide his feet over the ledge of the lifeboat. He grasped the wood with force as he and Perrim were lowered into the water by Lincoln. The sun was high in the sky, and the entire crew looked on from the ship. Some eyes were locked on them, while others stared ahead at the island, reminding Gustus of his goal. 

"Ready?" Perrim asked. 

"Does it matter?" Gustus laughed, and the two began to row. It couldn't be too far, but it sure looked it, and he felt himself rowing faster and faster as anxious anticipation filled his chest.

"We should conserve energy. Just in case..." 

"You're right. What do you think is in store for us?" Gustus asked. He sat at the stern, behind Perrim, so he could not see his face.

"I don't know. I almost don't want to expect anything, because I know I'd probably be wrong. It's better to go in ready for anything."

"Either way, won't we be taken off-guard?"

"I mean, yes," Perrim answered, "but I'd feel better pretending to be ready for anything than pretending to be ready for something specific."

"You've got a point." The two rowed in silence for a while. Stroke by stroke, the island grew on the horizon.

 

* * *

 

"Well, thank you, Zinnia," Clarke whispered. She was up and mobile now, feeling a little groggy but otherwise okay. "That's twice, now, you've done the unthinkable for me."

"I wouldn't think twice, Clarke. You know that," answered Zinnia with a smile. She cautiously eyed Lexa who still sat on shore with her feet in the water. 

"I'm sorry if Calliope exacted any punishments on you for my mistakes."

"Of course not. You took the fall for me, remember? She thinks I had nothing to do with it."

"You didn't. I lied to you, and you still want to help me. Zin, you're a better friend than I deserve."

"Well, I won't disagree with you there." She winked at Clarke. "But I just want to know why you're really doing this. I know you said you want to know why ships don't come around anymore, but that doesn't seem like enough of a reason to put your whole coven in danger. Not after..."

"I know," Clarke sighed. "You're right."

"After what?" Lexa piped up. She and Telly were both listening intently, no matter how private Clarke and Zinnia had intended their conversation to be. 

"Nothing, human!" Telly snapped. "None of your business!"

"Telly!" Clarke cranked her head to stare down her sister. "Don't be rude to our guest."

"Guest? I think you mean hostage," Telly answered, puffing out her chest. "Let's not forget who's who here."

"Can't disagree with her," Lexa muttered. "I am both a human and a hostage."

Everyone shrugged and laughed quietly.

"But if you must know," Clarke said to Lexa, her voice shaking, "this isn't the first time I've gotten this... involved... in our ritual. When I was younger, I made a mistake. A huge mistake that I regret every day."

"What do you mean?" Lexa looked to see all three Sirens with their heads down.

"The first ship that I ever saw. It was glorious, beautiful, gigantic. I was a little girl then, just about Telly's age. When the ship came, it was daytime. It kept getting closer and closer, and when it finally reached our defensive line of rocks and coral... the sound it made pierced through our song. It was a horrible scraping sound, louder than anything I'd ever heard. The older Sirens just kept singing, and they kept staring at the ship that was being ripped apart. I was still learning the song, and I wasn't too familiar with everything, so I stopped singing. Before long, the ship was nothing but rubble, and the sailors... They were everywhere. Some were frantically swimming for the island. Some were still unconscious from the song and I watched them as they sank to the bottom. It was... horrible to watch. No one had warned me how hard it would be to see. 

"Growing up, they just told us the history of the song, the history of our relationship with sailors. Everyone in the coven would always tell me how exhilarating it was watching the ship go down. But it wasn't exhilarating. It was... heartbreaking. All I could think about was the lives being lost and the families who would miss them. I mean, I've gotten over it because we need sailors, but it was hard then. Everyone kept singing. Then I spotted a young sailor. He was clinging to a piece of the ship that was floating. He was so young. Telly wasn't born yet, but... I felt so horrible for this child, like I had to save him. So... I tried."

There was silence. Lexa stared intently at Clarke before speaking. "You tried? And what happened?"

Clarke swallowed hard and continued. "I swam out to where he was. I thought maybe I could pull him ashore and save him. I didn't know what to do, but I just wanted to do something. I grabbed onto the splintered scrap of wood and began to swim toward shore. I tried to stay underwater, but he saw me. He screamed and began to hit me and kick me. I ducked back down into the water, but he dove in after me. That's when I saw he had a sword or a knife or something in his hand. I dove deeper, but the seafloor was only ten, fifteen feet deep, and he was on top of me before long. I felt the metal against my throat and he tugged on my hair so hard.

"He pulled me back to the surface with his knife pressed hard against me. It pierced the skin a little, and I didn't know what to do. He started yelling at me, but I didn't speak whatever language he did. I didn't dare to scream for help. It was so scary, and I was so young. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, the knife was off of my throat, and he had let go of my hair. I whirled around and saw my mother with the boy, plummeting to the sea floor. She had saved me. That's when I saw the blood."

"She killed him?" Lexa was completely enthralled by this story. Every word that fell from the beautiful Siren's mouth was as beautiful as the song they sang.

"Not before," Clarke averted her gaze, trying to avoid breaking down completely. "Before... he cut her. Really badly. He cut off most of her tail fin. He mutilated her. But she fought and fought. The blood clouded the water so badly I couldn't see either of them. Finally, I saw my mother's head through the murk. She was bleeding profusely, but she was alive. I swam down and grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the others, while the boy's body was tossed around by the undertow."

Then, Clarke was completely overtaken by sobs. Lexa wanted to jump into the water and hold her, to tell her it was all okay.

"I'm... sorry that happened," she said. "You couldn't have known he would be so violent."

"He was just fighting to stay alive. I was just trying to help him. And my mother was never the same after that. She couldn't really swim, so she didn't leave our home very often. Then when she had Telly... She was just too weak to go on. She knew that having a baby would mean the end of her, but she wanted to bring life into this world, she said. She wanted something good to come out of the rest of her life. She didn't want me to be alone." Telly sidled up to Clarke and placed her head in the crook of her neck. 

"So... why get me off the ship? After that, I wouldn't judge you if you felt no remorse for killing sailors ever again. I certainly don't think I could get close to another sailor again."

"And?" Telly sneered, fighting the tears in her eyes. 

"And my question is why me? Why would you risk all of that again... for me?"

"I don't know. I told you... I saw you, and something inside of me told me that I needed to save you. It was... different from the boy. That was compassion. This... this was something else."

"Hey, Telly," Zinnia interrupted. "It's been quite the day! How about you and I go for a little relaxing swim?"

Telly eyed Zinnia, then Clarke, then Lexa, then Clarke, then Lexa. "You gonna be okay?" She asked her sister.

"I'll be fine, you go ahead. I'm exhausted."

"Okay. No funny business," Telly asserted, obviously more to Lexa than Clarke. 

"Pirate's honor," Lexa teased as Zinnia and Telly dipped underwater and swam away.

Clarke and Lexa sat in silence, neither looking at the other.

"Alright, I'll break the silence," Lexa said after a few too many seconds. "What do you mean, different? How was your desire to save me different than your desire to save that boy?"

"Like I said, with the boy it was compassion. I hated to see someone so young die. But..."

"But what?" Lexa hoped she knew what, but she didn't want to be the one to say it first. She didn't want to seem crazy. This was a _Siren_ after all.

"But when I saw you... it was... just _different,_ okay?! You... wouldn't understand."

"Maybe I would."

Clarke raised her head to see Lexa staring intently at her. "Fine. With the little boy it was compassion. With you, it was... passion."

Lexa's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't crazy. Sure, this whole situation was, but in this moment, she wasn't. Or maybe they both were. They were both silent again before Lexa spoke.

"Well, all I will say is that I held onto your dead hand all night long even though that fabric was more than enough to keep you secure." She smirked, waiting for Clarke's eyes to meet hers again.

"So... what does that... what does this mean now? We're in uncharted waters here, Commander."

"Not the first time I've heard that," Lexa chuckled. 

"You've had feelings for a sea creature before?"

"Who said feelings?"

Clarke's heart dropped. "I mean..."

"I was just kidding. I don't deal with this stuff well."

"Neither do I. I mean, Sirens and love are not a common combination." 

"Now we're jumping to 'love'?" Lexa raised an eyebrow, still smirking.

"Stop! You know what I mean."

"No, I don't, actually. Please explain. I know nothing about Sirens other than what I've observed today."

"Well, a coven is more about family. It's rare for a Siren to leave the coven. There's not a need for love or romance."

"Then how do you know what it is?" Lexa was beyond curious at this point. The sun was rising in the sky, and it was nearing midday.

"I said there's not a need for it, not that it doesn't happen. Every so often, I've heard, two Sirens might develop something more than the family bond. It's rare, but it happens."

"And Sirens are all women, right?"

"Yes."

"How do you have babies? You said your mom gave birth to Telly..."

"That's... complicated. It's a whole separate ritual. I'll spare you the details because it's harder to explain than I think you're ready for."

"Fair enough. Well, I can't say I've ever felt anything for a sea creature, no, but when I saw you on the beach last night... I wanted to do anything I could to save you. Just like I'd do anything to save my crew, but it was different."

"So now you're playing the 'different' card and being vague," Clarke retorted, a smirk creeping across her face. 

Lexa felt herself blushing, so she buried her face in her arms, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Like I said, I'm not good with this stuff!" She said, her voice muffled.

"Have you ever been in love?"

"That's a personal question, isn't it?"

"I gave you my tragic backstory! It's only fair."

With a deep breath, Lexa sighed. "Fine. Once."

"Tell me about it!"

"Well, as a pirate captain, I don't have much time for love," she started. Clarke couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Sirens didn't fall in love because they didn't need to. Pirates didn't fall in love because they didn't have time for it. "But there was one port where we docked. It was in some warm seas off in the southeast. There was this woman. As soon as I saw her, my jaw dropped. She was the most beautiful person I had seen up to that point. She approached me, actually, looking for help. She needed to find her lost lover. Said he was out on the seas and she was waiting for him far longer than he told her to."

"And?" Clarke wanted the full story.

"And so I helped her. Once we departed, she came with us. Her lover had given her an idea of where he and his ship might be, but she was worried something had happened to him. She was on my ship for two months as we searched. Where he was supposed to be happened to be along the route I had already planned on taking, so it wasn't out of my way. I fell in love. She seemed to love me too. At least she said she did."

"Well what happened to her? Did you find her lover?"

"It turned out I already had. He was on a ship I had taken down. I had... killed him myself. I didn't know until she gave me more details about his ship and what he looked like. I couldn't bear to tell her, but I knew I had to. And when I did, she stopped talking to me. She stopped staying in my quarters and asked to be dropped of at the next port. Once she got off the ship, I never saw her again."

"Wow," was all Clarke could say.


	15. Chapter 15

(author's note again lmao: i just moved across the country so i haven't been Settled for longer than a week until recently. no guarantees tho I'm teaching full-time)

* * *

 

 

Telly surfaced abruptly, causing a splash that snapped both Clarke and Lexa from their conversation. 

"Someone's coming," gasped Telly. 

Clarke stared at her. "Coming? Who?"

"From the ship! I heard them before anyone else. I'm not sure if they know yet."

Lexa tensed up and sprang to her feet. All eyes were on her. She knew what would probably happen; Sirens killed sailors and pirates. Whoever was coming from the ship would certainly suffer a similar fate unless they were prepared, in which case a battle could break out. Lexa wasn't sure which option was more horrible to think about. She found herself pacing in the sand, the sun high in the sky. 

"We have to do something," was all the Commander managed to utter, barely loud enough for any of the Sirens to hear. 

"Well, if you have any bright ideas..." Telly started.

"If you weren't worried, you wouldn't have come to tell us," snapped Clarke.

"Can you talk to your... your leader?" Lexa pleaded.

"Our  _Matron,_ " Telly responded. "And she's not too happy with Clarke, remember? You aren't supposed to be here!"

"I didn't bring myself here,  _remember?_ " Lexa answered, almost mockingly. 

Telly was taken aback, and in many ways she recognized the position the sailor was in. She finally resigned. "I'll talk to her..."

Almost shocked, Lexa stared at her. "Thank you."

Telly darted underwater again, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone again. 

"I'm sorry if I'm being short with your sister," Lexa began.

"Stop! Don't worry about that right now. We're both in a very uncomfortable position, Lexa. The future of my coven is at stake here."

"And the future of my crew."

"Right. Our only hope is to work together, otherwise we're both doomed." 

They had reached an impasse. Clarke was absolutely correct: in order for the security of both of their families to be ensured, they had to find a way to join forces and deescalate the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible. But with Clarke having upset her own Matron in such a way, and with Lexa's crew completely unaware of what to expect, they had to act fast. 

There was no turning back, and every move was crucial. Every decision was a key decision. Yet both of them seemed frozen. Should Telly be unable to convince Calliope to help the situation, even more would ride on Clarke and Lexa's every action. 

Telly surfaced again. A few moments later, a large, silver-haired Siren followed. Her deep-set eyes locked with Lexa's, and the four of them remained without words for a moment. In all her years, Lexa had never felt such a fear. There was a power within this Siren that scared the Commander more than a lifetime of battles and rough seas. Especially in this moment, Lexa knew that this Siren held the fate of her crew in her hands. 

"Greetings, Sailor," the Siren's voice pierced through the crashing of waves and the sound of birds. "It appears, despite my best efforts, you are here. It also appears that your crew has sent some of its own to raid our island."

"They're probably just looking for her!" Clarke inserted. Calliope's fixed gaze on Lexa broke as her head snapped to face Clarke. 

"I am speaking with the sailor right now. If that is the case, it, as I have said, is _your_ fault. You brought the sailor here, and you're bringing her crew here. It does not matter what their plan is. They are headed toward the island."

"I could," Lexa started, shaking from her core, "convince them to turn around. Or they could take me with them, and we'll leave immediately. Please, my crew is my family. They're my coven. Like it's your soul's responsibility to keep your coven safe, it is mine to keep my crew safe. While I do not claim to understand the bond you share with your coven, I hope you can understand the desire I have in my heart to maintain the safety and happiness of my crew." 

Clarke's heart sank at the thought of Lexa leaving. She knew it might be the only option to prevent an all-out war, but it still hurt her. She thought of her desire to protect Telly at all costs, how deeply it ran within her. In that moment, she knew she would have to let Lexa go, should it come to that. But she certainly didn't want to. 

Calliope was almost leering at Lexa after she had spoken. Finally, she spoke. "Hear this, sailor. You are correct: you know nothing of our world and what I must do to protect my coven. But even I can admit that I know little of you and your crew. However, we need to perform our ritual to stay healthy and alive. Yours is the first ship to pass by in years. To let you all go would be totally foolish."

"I haven't gotten a chance to ask!" Clarke's voice rose up again, confident to dominate the conversation. "Lexa, do you know why there are no ships passing by us anymore? How did you find us?"

Lexa had to think for a moment. "Well, on most maps I have found, the entire area surrounding the island is marked with a warning. I was foolish and curious, wondering if something was hidden here, so I decided to pass the warning."

Clarke gasped. "That's it! The maps are keeping sailors away!"

Even Calliope's stern, powerful frame seemed to give a little. Her eyes drifted between Clarke and the sailor, her brow furrowed in deep thought. "So what do you intend to do? And think quickly; the crewmen are growing nearer."

"I can't change the maps, Clarke. Not quickly, at least."

"I don't know much about pirates, but I do know plenty about the power of word of mouth. What if your crew spread word that treasure lies within this area? That would be sure to bring in sailors, and we could remain fully sated."

"Would it, though? Would that be enough?" Calliope asked. Within her voice was a mix of hope and doubt, frustration and fear. 

"It... has to be," Lexa breathed. "But I'd have to talk to my crew. I'd have to convince them."

"Can we trust a human to be true to her word?" The Matron bellowed. "Her crew is arriving within the hour. The coven is scared. I'm scared."

"I'm scared, too," the Commander answered. "But in my years at sea, I've learned that fear is a feeling, and all feelings pass eventually. We have to hold fast. You have my word I will do everything in my power. I will sail the seas myself, spreading the word from my own mouth of the treasures that are buried on this island. Whatever it takes to keep us all safe."


	16. Chapter 16

The island grew closer and closer. Gustus had to calm his breathing, which surprised him. He was rarely overwhelmed to the point where it physically affected him; yet here he was, terrified and nearly hyperventilating. Perrim turned his head to look at him. 

"You alright, Gus?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm fine. I'm just... eager to get on this island and see what all the fuss is about." Gustus forced a laugh, and Perrim faced forward again. The two rowed in silence. 

The water was a beautiful turquoise, with dancing reflections of the sun cresting on each small wave. The water was clear, and as they approached the island they could see the seafloor rising. The sand beneath was pristine, undisturbed. Occasionally a fish or two came into view; it was as though man had never seen this spot on earth before. It was, Gustus thought, pure. 

Before long, rocks and coral came into view beneath them. At first it was sporadic, sparse. Then the formations grew closer together and rose higher in the water. As they rowed it almost became a mountain beneath them, eventually peaking just feet below the surface. It looked jagged and sharp. Finally, they passed a sheer cliff, and it was as though the rocks and coral were never there. The sparkling sand was all they could see. 

Perrim spoke first. "You don't think..."

"What?" Gustus knew what he meant, but he wanted to hear it. 

"It's just..." He took a deep breath. "That seemed like a lot of rocks. And it was so close to the surface. Like spears. If the  _Heda_ had come this close, she'd be taking on water, if not splintering in half."

"And?" Gustus's ragged breathing had returned.

"And it can't be just a coincidence. We've seen coral reefs all over the world, but not like that." They had both stopped rowing and were now being gently tossed by the current. They were at an angle almost parallel to the shore before Perrim finally said it. "I think it could be Sirens. Think about it. The night the Commander disappeared, everyone was asleep and stayed asleep until late into the day. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I knew something was weird."

"That actually makes a lot of sense. But Sirens aren't real, are they?" Gustus had heard stories of Sirens his whole life but chalked them up to just stories. 

"Of course they are. With the things we've seen on this ship, do you really doubt anything?"

"You have a point. What should we do? We're just asking to be Siren food. What if the Commander is already..." He swallowed and closed his eyes. He didn't want to say it.

"We should turn around and go back to the ship. We need to plan for this. What if they strike again and bring the whole ship to the island? What if this was all a trap?" Perrim grabbed the oars forcefully, in a panic. 

"What about Lexa?"

"She left on a lifeboat like this. We made it this far, so she could have easily. Plus, there's no way the Sirens could have taken just one person. I don't think it works like that. Let's go back. We can't let them take the  _Heda._ This way, we can get backup. We can plug our ears like Odysseus's crew and storm the island. We can find Lexa and those fish people won't even see us coming."

"But... what if she needs us now?" Gustus was staring at the island, which was now behind them.

 

* * *

 

"They've stopped," Telly said upon returning from wherever she had gone. "They're just... floating there. They're not rowing."

Lexa cocked her head. "Why?"

"How should I know?" Telly cocked her head in return.

"It was a rhetorical question. I wasn't necessarily asking you. I'm genuinely wondering why they're not approaching anymore."

"I could get closer," was Clarke's answer. "I could go see what they're saying."

"And risk being spotted?!" Calliope hadn't left the area. She, like Lexa, seemed to be pacing back and forth. "Absolutely not, Clarke."

"I'd have to agree," Lexa said. 

"What would they do? I'd have the upper hand, no matter what." Clarke answered defiantly.

"Unless they have weapons. You'd be an easy target. They don't know you," Calliope responded with annoyance. 

"I could just flip the stupid boat!" 

"And drown my crew?" Lexa eyed her. "Our goal here is to cause the least damage possible, remember?"

"Sorry. You're right. I just... I want to be able to help."

They all remained silent. Telly darted underwater and disappeared for a few minutes. She returned with a confused look on her face.

"They're turned around," she announced. "It looks like they're leaving. Like they're going back to the ship. They probably think you're dead, so they're just going to leave forever."

"No," Lexa breathed. "They can't. They wouldn't. Something else is going on."

"Such as?" asked Calliope. 

"I've trained my crew to always be on the defensive. They must know something is off. They're..." She stopped herself. 

All eyes were on her. None of them knew her crew the way Lexa did. She knew they were smart, calculating. Just as she was. It was entirely possible that they were turning around to arm themselves further. Or maybe they'd figured out what the island truly was. But maybe Telly was right. 

"They're what?!" Telly nearly screamed.

"I don't know! I can't be sure. I wish I could go out there and talk to them..."

"Well, why don't you just take the boat you came here in?"

Clarke immediately dropped her head to her chest. Timidly, she said, "she was going to leave yesterday. I had to take the boat away... It's gone."

Telly let out a frustrated sigh. "Wait... What if... No."

Now all eyes were on Telly. At this point, any ideas were welcome. She swallowed before she continued.

"What if we, or at least two of us, take Lexa out to them. We could hold her up so she'd be safe. And that way, her crew would see that we're trying to keep her safe. We could stop them from leaving, and she'd get to tell them about the plan."

"That's... genius," Lexa responded. "If you take me to them, we would be able to have control of the situation at the very least. They'll see I'm okay. They'll see you're all okay, too."

Telly was almost beaming, but she was smart enough to keep her pride in check. She knew that even the best of ideas could fall completely flat, so she dared not get her hopes up. But if this was the plan they were going with, her idea was the surest way to make it happen quickly. Otherwise, the crew could be getting reinforcements, or they could be leaving and taking the first ship in forever with them. 

"Or we could use the song," Calliope inserted. "We could use the song to bring them to the island."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all. Sorry it's been a while. Life's crazy but I guess some fics take even longer to update so that's...something. I'm on winter break now so I'll probably try and finish this up soon so I can maybe start something new?

Back on the  _Heda_ , things were eerily quiet. As soon as Perrim and Gustus were lowered to the sea beneath them, no one aboard dared speak a word. It was a waiting game they were all unwilling to play, but still it was quiet. The occasional flutter of a sail in the wind was the only sound that could be heard. Nearly everyone stayed on deck, watching the small lifeboat make its way closer to the impending island. 

Anya was one of the few to duck down below and make her way to her bed. She hadn't slept well the night before. In fact, the only night she could remember sleeping entirely through was the night Lexa went missing. The reality was Anya couldn't sleep. Sure, she may remain in bed later than most, but rarely was there a night when she wasn't staring into the darkness and praying for sleep to take hold. There were days where she was so exhausted she would sneak back to the bunks and steal a few moments of rest. 

Today was one of those days. Waiting was the worst thing in the world for Anya. She liked certainty, knowing. Waiting meant things were out of her control, and that was something she did not want to deal with. Especially not regarding Lexa. As she made it to the bunks, she climbed up to hers. It was dark enough in there, and that coupled with the silence above deck made for perfect sleeping conditions. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself.

Instead, when Anya closed her eyes she was greeted with spiraling thoughts that caused her heart to race. She knew that she was not going to fall asleep. But sometimes being in bed felt like she could at least rest up a little. Anya was certain no one was going to be looking for her, as Lexa was the only one who ever really needed her for anything. Even being the Commander's cousin, Anya had proven herself a worthy member of the team for her crew scouting abilities. She could see potential and abilities just by looking at a person. But since this mission involved rescuing Lexa, and since Indra was in charge, and since Lincoln was preoccupied, and since Gustus was involved in the rescue, Anya knew no one would be looking for her.

Her racing mind stopped on a single memory. Her mother and Lexa's mother were sisters; the two of them had grown up together. But Lexa's mother had married for love. She had married a very, very poor man and they had only one child together. She had wanted more children, but she and her husband knew that it was irresponsible to have more than one in the conditions they lived in. Living in the Great North, winters were harsh and unforgiving. Fortunately for Anya, she, her brother, and her parents were more well-off. 

Anya's mother had tried for years to offer help. She offered rooms in their home every winter. She offered money, food, clothing. But pride was strong in their family, and accepting help was a sign of weakness. So Anya and her family had to look on as their relatives suffered, year after year.

Things grew worse when Lexa's father grew sick. Both parents worked to bring in money and food to support one another, and with one of them sick, their situation was dire. Every so often, Anya would go visit, as their families lived barely an hour from one another. Her mother and father would ask her to sneak food and small amounts of money to their house and give it to Lexa, because they knew neither of her parents would accept it. 

Each time she went, things seemed worse. Being only a year older than Lexa, Anya felt helpless. Seeing her cousin, her aunt and uncle, struggling so terribly with nothing being done about it was gut wrenching. 

_"Lexa, just come back with me. Think about it. My family has more than enough room for you. I know your parents don't want to admit they need help, but we all know the truth. It doesn't have to be all three of you. Just you, Lexa. You can go back and visit all the time! You can take them food and money and water and-"_

_"No! Anya, I can't leave them. I couldn't."_

_"Look around! You're wearing rags. You're sleeping in rags on the floor. All three of you! Your dad is really sick, Lexa. Think about it like this. If you come to live with us, all of your mom's attention and money and time can go toward helping him feel better. And once he does, you can go back... What do you think?"_

_"Well... It's- I really don't think I could leave them."_

_"It's not far away. I come over a lot, don't I?"_

_"I... I guess..."_

_"Just... think about it, okay? Granddad is coming ashore next week, and he's planning on visiting my family, and then yours. I'll come with him back here, and you can tell me then what your decision is, okay? That's four days to make a decision. Four days to think really, really hard, okay? I really want you to think hard about this, Lexa. Think about all of the good that could come out of this. Just... promise me you'll really think?"_

_"I will. Trust me, Anya. I want to do whatever I can to help them."_

_"I know exactly what you mean."_

Four days later, Anya and gone over with their grandfather, and Lexa had agreed to go back with them. As the three of them left back toward Anya's home, Lexa's eyes welled with tears. But Anya knew that Lexa was doing the right thing, and she hoped she realized it, too. But Lexa surprised them all when she asked to stay with their grandfather as he made his way back to his ship. Anya and her parents were under the understanding that Lexa was going to live with them until her father was better; instead, Lexa had gone a step further. She wanted to go with their grandfather. At the time, he was a fisherman. He was uncannily successful, and he rarely smelled of fish.

Just a few years later, Anya realized the truth: her mother's family descended from generations of pirates. With no sons, their grandfather stayed in the family business for as long as he could, holding out until a male descendant was born. But no such descendant was born. Instead, Lexa had shown an immediate aptitude for life on the high seas. She sometimes sent letters to Anya, and letters and money to her own parents. She seemed very happy, like something had awoken inside of her. Anya was jealous, and with Lexa on the ocean, replying to her letters was not an option. 

Beneath her pillow, to this day, Anya had three letters she had written to Lexa. The first two were angry. The first two were full of bitterness and resentment, regrettable words, anger. The third one was the one she had wanted to send. It was when Anya wanted to be the first one to tell Lexa of her father's passing. She felt like she had to do it, since she was the one who convinced Lexa to leave. But she still held on to all three, since Lexa came home unexpectedly just days later and discovered the new for herself. By that point, the anger and resentment had entirely dissipated. Now all Anya felt anymore was guilt.

She couldn't help but blame herself for Lexa's current predicament. Maybe if she hadn't convinced her to leave her parents, she wouldn't have been stolen in the middle of the night off of a pirate ship.  _It's all my fault_ , she thought to herself. The slight rock of the ship had done nothing to put her to sleep, and she debated going back on deck. Instead, she headed toward the captain's quarters. 

Outside of the locked door, she pretended Lexa was still in there and knocked. Nothing happened. No one stirred within. There was no one within. Everyone was on deck or on the island. At least, she hoped that's where Lexa was. It seemed like the only plausible option, other than unthinkable ones. Anya began to pace, back and forth, outside of the door to Lexa's quarters. Her mind was still racing. More than anything, she wanted to snag a lifeboat and go rescue Lexa herself. Even though only a year separated them, Anya felt protective over Lexa. Her older brother felt the same way, as though Lexa were their baby sister. No one truly understood her, but Anya felt like she could try better than most. 

"Oh, Lex," she whispered. "Please come back safely. Please."


End file.
